New Ohio State VP for advancement set to play key role in ‘But for Ohio State’ campaign

Luke Stirton
Tue, 11 Jun 2013 21:06:13 +0000
Campus

Courtesy of OSU

Patricia Hill-Callahan, Ohio State’s new vice president for advancement at the Wexner Medical Center and principal gift strategist university-wide, is set to play a central role in the “But For Ohio State” campaign.

Michael Eicher, senior vice president for advancement and president of the OSU Foundation, said Hill-Callahan will begin her duties on June 17 in a brand new position. He said her experience will help further the university’s fundraising efforts, particularly with the “But For Ohio State” program.

“The $2.5 billion ‘But For Ohio State’ campaign requires the expertise and talent of many individuals here at our university,” Eicher said. “Patty (Hill-Callahan) is a uniquely-talented professional who I strongly believe has the knowledge and expertise to help our university reach its goal.”

The campaign, publicly launched in October 2012, has raised more than $1.5 billion and is the university’s largest fundraising initiative in history. OSU has set a goal of raising $2.5 billion by 2016 to be used for education, research development and a number of global issues including health and wellness, energy and the environment.

Hill-Callahan’s new role will include providing advancement services to areas of the Wexner Medical Center, including hospitals, clinical care sites, research institutes, the College of Medicine and OSU’s health sciences colleges.

Hill-Callahan is coming to OSU from Johns Hopkins University, where she has been an associate vice president for principal gifts since 2009. She also served as a director of the annual fund and director of development for Johns Hopkins’ Heart and Vascular Institute.

Anooj Bhandari, a recent graduate in public affairs, said for OSU to remain an innovator in medical research, money is important.

“As a university, we’re trying to do good for people and always trying to move research forward,” Bhandari said. “Also, we’re trying to do it in a way that nobody has before. I think that OSU is trying to be really innovative in terms of medical research, and I think in order to do that, you need the right resources, and in this case, money is one of those resources.”

Hill-Callahan is set to earn a $375,000 salary, said OSU spokeswoman Gayle Saunders.

Hill-Callahan did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment Tuesday evening.