Acadia’s Vice-President, Advancement
Dr. Rod Morrison
Service and leadership have been hallmarks of Dr. Rod Morrison’s 30-year career.
After working for seven years with the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Morrison became CEO of the Huntington Society of Canada in 1997. In 2002, he joined McMaster University as Director of Alumni Advancement. Four years later, he was named Director of International Advancement, adding the Major Gifts portfolio in 2011. Under his leadership, McMaster’s alumni team earned awards from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education for alumni programming and volunteer recognition.
“The four themes for the campaign constitute what Acadia is all about. First and foremost, a transformative student experience. This is what Acadia offers that's becoming so rare in the post-secondary landscape generally.”
In 2012, he joined Acadia as Vice-President, Advancement, where he oversees Alumni Affairs, Development, Advancement Services, and Communications. He also serves as a Director of the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) and of the California-based PETNA Foundation.
“As Vice-President, Advancement, I’m privileged to spend time with alumni and friends of Acadia University,” Morrison says. “I’m always intrigued to hear about their Acadia experiences, and I’m constantly struck by the depth of their ties to the school. In Advancement, we work to keep those bonds strong and vibrant – to build lifelong relationships that will help ensure that Acadia remains Canada’s finest undergraduate university.”
“This is a comprehensive campaign and we're committed to infusing new strength into every aspect of what we do here at Acadia.”
Those bonds are especially important in the Campaign for Acadia, which will benefit the whole institution. “We’re looking at the full spectrum of priorities and opportunities associated with the student experience, teaching, research, and physical and financial infrastructure,” Morrison says. “This is a comprehensive campaign and we’re committed to infusing new strength into every aspect of what we do here at Acadia.”
Morrison is a big believer in the importance of place, and Acadia is special, he says. “This is one of the most beautiful campuses in the entire country, rooted in an extraordinary part of the world. More importantly, we’ve got a history. We’ve got traditions. We’ve got a culture that’s all about involvement, it’s about personal transformation, it’s about working with our students to help them figure out what and who they can be in this world, what they’ve got to contribute. We’re a small campus, we’re a small community, and it really is all about community here at Acadia.”
“We place huge value on every gift that we receive, because we know that it involves a choice,” he says. “No one has to give. And we're very, very grateful to all of those who do.”
Every donation is important, he emphasizes. “All of us here at Acadia, to achieve the greatest possible impact with every donation, we place huge value on every gift that we receive, because we know that it involves a choice,” he says. “No one has to give. And we’re very, very grateful to all of those who do.”