Visitors from York (England) St. John University are nothing new on campus. The College has had an exchange program with the public university two hours north of London since 1981.
This week, though, the visitors were university officials looking to learn about our College Relations program.
Brett Arnall, alumni and fundraising officer, and Kate Hutchings, advancement services officer, met with staffers to discuss Union’s fundraising, alumni relations and communications operations.
Advancement is a nascent field at many institutions in the U.K., where higher education historically has been subsidized by the government. “At YSJ, we are five years into our development effort, much of which is ‘friend-raising,’” said Arnall. “With what we’ve learned at Union, we hope to transition to a higher level of fundraising.”
Each year, YSJ sends between three and five students to study at Union, said William Thomas, director of International Programs, who has overseen the exchange with YSJ since it began in 1981. About 20 Union students and a faculty member go to York each fall.
In 2003, Thomas was named an honorary fellow of YSJ in recognition of his services to education and international understanding.