Marly Norris joined Dean in November as its Vice President for Institutional Advancement. Most recently, she served as the Vice President of Advancement for the State University of New York’s (SUNY) Empire State University and Executive Director of the Empire State University Foundation. She was instrumental in ensuring a smooth transitional period for the organization, which included a new president; a change from college to university; and a marketing rollout as the only public online university in the state.
Marly earned dual bachelor’s degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an MBA at Saint Mary’s College of California. She also completed the Leadership Development Program at the University of California, Berkeley.
In this new role, Marly and her team will be responsible for keeping the lines of communication open and productive with our wonderful Dean alumni community. Therefore, we wanted to take the time to get to know her a little bit better. Please help us welcome Marly to Dean!
Can you share a bit about your background?
I’m a born and bred Midwesterner who left for the coasts after college; I’ve lived in New York City, Washington D.C., and the San Francisco Bay Area. I moved to New England just over two years ago, and my husband and I (and especially our small dogs) are still adapting to a true winter! I’ve been a fundraiser for a very long time; first for arts organizations and then higher education. So, my experience runs the gamut from the very large (like University of California, Berkeley) to the small (like Dominican University of California) and everything in between.
What attracted you to this role at Dean College?
In the conversations I had with the folks at Dean during the recruitment process, I was so struck by the clear sense of identity they shared about the College – they knew what the school does best, and what kinds of students are best served by the personal attention provided. I can’t tell you how rare it is to have people from the administration on down understand what their school’s strengths are, and to focus on those assets instead of trying to be everything to everyone.
What are your top priorities during your first year in this position?
Building a team is my number one priority. As you may know, there has been no Institutional Advancement and Alumni Engagement department for nearly two years, and although other departments have stepped up to try and fill in those gaps, the lack of dedicated staff and planning is apparent. Once I am able to get a few more team members in place, we’ll begin to focus on rebuilding our fundraising program and reconnecting with you, our valued alumni. I am so looking forward to getting to know you.
How do you envision strengthening the relationship with Dean’s alumni community?
Dean alums WANT to be engaged. During the past three months that I’ve been in this role, I have been fortunate to have phone conversations and meetings with various alumni. They want to hear from us and know what is happening at Dean College right now. They also want opportunities to connect with fellow alumni. I’m hoping to establish a regular communication cadence so that alums feel in the loop; deepen engagement opportunities during established events like Homecoming (and I’m also looking for other ways to bring people back to campus); and give alumni ways to share their experience and expertise with current students.
How do you navigate fundraising during times of economic uncertainty or institutional change?
This is a tough but important question. I like to remind people that Dean has existed for 160 years in its different incarnations as Dean Academy, Dean Junior College, and now Dean College. This institution has weathered the changes wrought by wars, depression, recessions – and I believe it has not just survived but succeeded because of its single-minded focus on the needs of the students, and its ability to adapt to those needs and a changing world. That’s the message I want to share in our fundraising and engagement work – when there seems like there’s little we can count on in the world, you can always count on Dean. I look forward to connecting with you all soon!