The first thing you notice is his broad smile. Then, there's the firm handshake, the caring attitude, and the confident tone to his voice.

It's hard not to notice and like Rickey McCurry, the new Vice President for Institutional Advancement. He brings skills and experience that will be valuable assets to the campus and administration as the course is set for future objectives, including endowment growth, which will keep Rose-Hulman on the cutting edge in higher education.

"My goal is to insure that our advancement program (alumni affairs and development) shares the same commitment to excellence as the institute's proud academic mission," McCurry says. "We want to create an atmosphere where all alumni and friends feel connected and involved with the institute.

"We want to bring alumni to campus and want to take Rose-Hulman on the road," he continues. "We need to reach out to our alumni, friends and supporters to seek their assistance in growing our endowment, creating new scholarships for our students, enhancing our facilities, and securing additional financial support to assist our students, faculty and staff."

McCurry spent the last 11 years as Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement and Chief Executive Officer of the Southern Illinois University Foundation. He led the college's first comprehensive campaign (raising $106 million) and increased the endowment and foundation assets.

"Rickey brings skills in constituency development that will be valuable assets to our institutional advancement division and my administration," states Rose- Hulman President Matt Branam.

McCurry earned the Commonfund Institutionally Related Foundation CEO of the Year Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and is chair-elect of CASE's District V Board of Directors. He has a law degree from North Carolina Central University's School of Law. ■