College Welcomes New Vice President of College Advancement: Carlo Robustelli
The college welcomed the new Vice President of College Advancement, Carlo Robustelli, on Thursday, Oct. 1 following the position’s five-month vacancy.
In a letter to the Dickinson College community on Friday, Sept. 11, President Margee Ensign announced the hiring of Robustelli, the former Director and Assistant President for Advancement at Illinois Wesleyan University. Ensign stated, “Carlo understands our mission and is eager to lead our Advancement team in support of it.”
“The opportunity to build new relationships across the country, across campus, and across differences is probably what excites me the most about this position,” Robustelli said.
Former Vice President of College Advancement Kirk Swenson left the Dickinson College community after four years of service. Swenson’s departure followed various changes to administrative staff positions over the summer.
For the past nine years, Robustelli has worked in university advancement through different leadership positions. “Higher education advancement offers me the opportunity to work for institutions that share my progressive values, enthusiasm for innovation, and passion for the liberal arts,” Robustelli said.
Financial support for college advancement has increased in the last two years. During the 2019-20 fiscal year, the college saw a 57 percent increase in its annual giving through the Dickinson fund, according to the Dickinson College website. Additionally, the college established a COVID-19 emergency response fund that raised over 699,000 dollars.
Robustelli detailed his plans for the future of advancement at the college. “My first priority is to spend a considerable amount of time listening and learning from the Dickinson community,” Robustelli said. “I will need to build strong internal and external relationships with constituencies.” Additionally, Robustelli said that he planned to create philanthropic opportunities to help students attend the college.
Previous student workers for the Office of College Advancement shared their excitement for Robustelli’s role at the college. Liam Pauli ’21, a former Presidential Fellow for the Office of College Advancement, said “He [Robustelli] sounds like a well-accomplished fundraiser, and I was particularly happy to see his recognition for civic engagement.” Maria Smith ’22, former student intern for the Presidential Fellowship program, said, “I’m excited to see what he [Robustelli] will bring to the office.”
“College advancement serves as an important bridge between the internal and external Dickinson constituencies,” Robustelli said and continued that these constituencies are important for the future of the college.