Announcing permanent leaders for University Advancement/TWU Foundation

Dear Texas Woman’s Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Lisa Rampy has accepted the VP position for University Advancement, and Shelby Gould has accepted the position of associate VP and executive director for the TWU Foundation. Both stepped in as interims in their respective roles about a year ago, just as we were about to launch the public phases of the “Dream Big” comprehensive fundraising campaign. Both have exceeded expectations, and I love it when we can promote high-achieving candidates from within.

Under Shelby’s leadership, the TWU Foundation has hosted in-person board meetings on all three campuses. The TWU Foundation manages almost 400 unitized endowments, and the total investment portfolio, as of March 31, 2024, was at $104M, with a 6.5% rate of return since inception. Shelby and her team have done a masterful job of reviewing all the endowments, working through some needed processes for consolidation, and ensuring their entire portfolio complies with federal and state laws. Total assets at the end of the third quarter of FY2024 surpassed $138M, an increase of $36.2M since last year.

On Lisa’s watch, University Advancement and Alumni Engagement have capitalized on the momentum of this public phase of our comprehensive campaign. At the TWU Board of Regents meeting earlier this month, she reported the following through the third quarter of this fiscal year.

Total new gifts and pledges: $27,875,137
Total number of gifts: 3,415
Total number of donors: 2,540
Total number of new donors: 1,179

With great philanthropic support comes great responsibility to steward our donors and their gifts. To that end, Lisa and Shelby’s teams have developed a stewardship strategy focused on meaningful donor relations, including special events. Events allow stakeholders to interact with faculty, students, programs, and fellow stakeholders. Events foster a sense of community and publicly recognize outstanding contributions to our educational enterprise, achievements, groundbreaking research, and overall university progress.

Since January, University Advancement and Alumni Engagement have hosted 14 major events—not including homecoming—like tailgating and our parade of Dream Big events that have gone from the Rio Grande Valley to Tyler, Waco, and soon to Lubbock and even as far as Colorado. Homecoming saw 300 alumni on campus and 18 events woven into four days, culminating in the Alumni Achievement Awards Luncheon.

To quote Lisa’s understatement at the recent TWU Board of Regents meeting, “We have had a good year.” In her summary, she reported that we have surpassed $117M towards our original Dream Big goal of $125M for the university’s 125th birthday.

I am grateful that both Lisa and Shelby will continue to help us pioneer the university’s mission through the efforts of University Advancement and the TWU Foundation.

With a pioneering spirit,

Carine M. Feyten, Ph.D.
Chancellor and President

Page last updated 4:44 PM, May 31, 2024