Q&A with Jen Schuller

faculty/staff news Q&A with Jen Schuller

VP of Institutional Advancement

In September, Jen Schuller joined Lake Erie College as the institution’s vice president for advancement, bringing with her a broad background in development and extensive campaign experience. Schuller has been a member of the advancement team at Hiram College for the past 16 years. Most recently serving as vice president for development and alumni relations, she brings experience including annual fund and planned giving initiatives as well as identifying, cultivating and stewarding major donors.

Since assuming the latter role in August 2016, Schuller brought in multiple million-dollar gifts to Hiram including, in 2017, the largest single seven-figure gift. She had previously served as executive director of major gifts and planned giving at Hiram beginning in January 2013, after serving in other roles including executive director of major gifts, director of major gifts, executive director of alumni relations and annual giving and director of alumni relations. Prior to joining Hiram, Schuller served as the associate director of alumni and student outreach at Case Western Reserve University from 2002-2005. Schuller’s talent for matching financial need with institutional values will amplify LEC’s capacity to support students.

Schuller holds a Bachelor of Science degree in art therapy and a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in painting (2000) from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Education degree in higher education administration (2002) from Kent State University. She resides in Portage County with her husband, Steve, and her 13-year-old daughter, Izzy.

We asked Schuller to reflect on her time so far at LEC and the opportunities and challenges facing the field of advancement.

What drew you to Lake Erie College?

I am a huge supporter of liberal arts education and Lake Erie has an excellent reputation in providing today’s generation of students a superior one. I am really honored to join an amazing group of faculty and staff in this mission.

What do you hope to accomplish in your first 90 days as the new VP?

I hope to build on an engagement and communication strategy that connects Lake Erie alumni and friends more frequently and more significantly. It’s important that alumni give back to Lake Erie in a myriad of ways and I hope that the Advancement Office can expand these efforts moving forward.

How do you hope to engage young alums in Lake Erie College?

First off, there is no better recruiting tool than sharing the success stories of Lake Erie’s recent graduates. We can do this by inviting our young alumni to events with prospective students as well as back to campus so that they can tell current students about their experiences as young professionals. In addition, I want to make their connection as a recent graduate of Lake Erie fun as well— provide them better opportunities to re-connect with not only Lake Erie College but with each other. I have some fun ideas in store!

What opportunities do you see to improve our development/fundraising effectiveness?

Developing meaningful relationships is critical to having a successful fundraising effort, and I hope to build these relationships with alumni of all ages throughout Northeast Ohio and around the country on my travels. In addition, it’s important that we frequently communicate the impact gifts of all sizes have at a place like Lake Erie College. Without philanthropic support, the Lake Erie College experience many of our alumni had would not be possible for today’s generation of students.

Why are we asking people to support LEC at this moment in time?

These are challenging times for our nation and our world, and I believe that we need citizens guided by the values a liberal arts education cultivates more than ever. Additionally, I think alumni should be very proud that their alma mater continues to grow and change with the times through the offering of new degree programs, master’s programs and more. Philanthropic gifts help strengthen the College and guarantee a Lake Erie education to generations of students to come.

What is the most exciting part of this job for you?

Truly what I enjoy the most is meeting alumni from various decades and hearing their stories of student days and, also, their success stories as well. Believe it or not, I also enjoy asking for gifts. There is no better feeling than working with donors to connect their philanthropic interests with a great need on campus.

What is the most challenging part of this job?

When it comes to philanthropy, donors have countless choices, so it’s important that we are clearly conveying what the needs of the institution are and how gifts mitigate these needs (this can be the fun part too).

How has COVID-19 changed the way we approach alumni engagement and fundraising?

Like every other industry, COVID-19 has had a considerable impact and has forced us to evaluate how we communicate and engage our alumni and friends. We’ve pivoted to offer more virtual events as well as more frequent electronic communication, and now I think these offerings are here to stay. But this has also enabled us to develop relationships in all new ways, and I think this is a great positive.

What are three things people may be surprised to know about you?

I have an identical twin, I am a painter (if I could have made a living as an artist I would have), and I’ve ridden a bull for 8 seconds!