Vice President for University Advancement Lyn Lakin is not taking an aggressive approach to her new position, which she describes as a combination of alumni and relationship development and fund development.
Instead, Lakin said she’s been meeting people and becoming acquainted with Baker University since she started July 17.
“I’m just really trying to create a baseline for myself before we start any strategic planning,” Lakin said.
Lakin was appointed mid-summer as new University President Pat Long was assigned the task of filling the administrative position previously known as the vice president for university relations.
Long said the hiring process was not her standard.
“I felt like this is such a key position. I felt like if I could get someone here and we could start this journey together, we’d do so much better for Baker,” she said. Upon arrival, Lakin said one of her first acts was to change the name of the department to give the community a clearer concept of its mission.
“To me, university relations sounded like lobbying, and we don’t lobby,” Lakin said. “We’re just looking for friends for Baker and friends to support Baker.”
Working in a number of fund-raising positions, Lakin said she’s created a fund-raising philosophy based primarily on relationships and secondarily on monetary gains.
“Too often fund-raisers talk to hear themselves talk,” she said. “We just need to take time and make sure we’re focusing on what they want and not constantly focusing on what the university needs.”
In her month on campus, Lakin has had several chances to get to work with Terry Manies, grant programs director.
“I think she is the right person for the job right now,” Manies said. “In my observation, she brings an incredible vitality to the position, a sense of professionalism. She’s just got a can-do attitude. Nothing seems to be off limits.”