Advancement: A Global Endeavor
Last month twenty of our professional colleagues gathered in Hong Kong and Seoul for the Asia-Pacific International Advancement Study Tour. The Study Tour was intended to be a blend of social, cultural, and professional experiences for those of us who are looking to enhance our international advancement programs. We checked all of these boxes as we shared ideas, ate some terrific food, and visited some interesting sites!
In Hong Kong, our sessions were held at the University of Chicago’s beautiful new facility. We also visited the Hong Kong International School’s impressive new campus. We kicked off our discussion by asking attendees about the institutional goals of their advancement program. Some of the relevant topics that we covered in Hong Kong included advancement in China, institutional partnerships, discovery work, parent engagement, working with corporations, trusts and foundations, international boards, and working with non-affiliated donors.
As the study tour transitioned to Seoul later in the week, we visited the Korea Foundation and Yonsei University, where we talked with the President of the University. While in Seoul, we talked about traveling with academic leaders, cultural characteristics throughout Asia and the Pacific, communication strategies for our various constituents, and concluded the program with a session on defining and measuring success in this part of the world.
One important observation from our weeklong road trip: international advancement is truly a global endeavor. Attendees of the study tour represented 13 institutions across four continents. Australia was represented by the largest number of attendees, followed by the U.S., the U.K., and Asia. By meeting in Asia, the Study Tour offered the unique opportunity to discuss the various challenges we face by being on the ground and to better understand the cultural and existential context of where we do our work. While unplanned, in Hong Kong, this literally put us in the middle of a weekend protest as the conference opened, and we experienced up-close the events we had been reading about from afar.
In addition to the curriculum that we developed for the Study Tour, it is amazing how much we learned from each other. Institutions around the globe are conducting innovative and effective global engagement programs. The Study Tour provided an unique opportunity to learn from others and make new friends while having a lot of fun along the way.
The CASE staff who were with us every step of the way were truly exceptional. You can keep the international advancement conversation going by learning more about the Study Tour program or by joining us at the International Advancement Conference Jan. 22-24, 2020, in New York.
About the author(s)
Dr. Staples’ role as Executive Director of International Development at Princeton punctuates a 25-year career in higher education. He leads a team of frontline major gift officers focused on raising philanthropic gifts for university priorities.
Prior to serving in this role, he was the Director of Leadership Gifts at Princeton. Prior to arriving at Princeton in 2006, Dr. Staples served in a variety of external relations positions at Harvard University and the University of Illinois, his graduate alma mater. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky.
For over 30 years, Ed Hu has worked in the secondary and higher education arena. Ed currently serves as the Head of External Relations at Harvard-Westlake School, an independent grades 7-12 day school in Los Angeles, overseeing admissions, advancement, alumni relations, and communications. During his tenure as Chief Advancement Officer (from 2002 to 2014), he successfully oversaw the completion of a $175 million capital campaign in 2010 (with a total of $187 million raised).
Ed joined Harvard-Westlake School in 1994 and served as Associate Director of College Counseling and Dean of Juniors and Seniors before turning to advancement. He has also taught psychology, served as faculty advisor to the Asian American Awareness Club, the Straight-Gay Alliance, and Project 10.
Ed is currently a commissioner on the CASE Commission on Philanthropy. A native of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Ed graduated from Brown University in 1987 with a degree in psychology. Ed also worked in college admissions at Occidental College and Brown University. For his alma mater, Ed has served in a number of volunteer positions, including the Brown Alumni Association Board of Governors, national co-chair of the Multicultural Alumni Committee, advisor to the Asian American Alumni Alliance, board member of the Association of Class Leaders, the Co-Coordinator of the Brown Alumni Schools Committee of Los Angeles, and the President's Advisory Council on Diversity.
