As Fordham moves into another major comprehensive Campaign, a familiar face has returned to the Office of Development and University Relations to direct fundraising efforts. In July, Michael F. Larkin (GSE ’97) was appointed associate vice president for development and director of Campaign resources.
From 1992 to 1996, Larkin served as director of major and planned gifts at Fordham, where he developed and implemented many of the strategic initiatives that contributed to the University’s fundraising success during the last Campaign. “Michael brings an already strong and cultivated relationship with many of the University’s top donors, trustees, deans and senior administrators which will enable him to get a quick start,” said Bruno M. Santonocito, vice president for development and university relations. “In addition, his skill as a manager along with his experience, knowledge and resourcefulness make him well-suited to planning and implementing key Campaign strategies and determining how best to allocate resources to achieve our objectives.”
Larkin replaces Cameran Mason, who, after 10 years, left the University in January to become Barnard College’s vice president for development and alumnae affairs. After leaving Fordham in 1996, Larkin became vice president for institutional advancement at Polytechnic University in New York. He later spent three years as vice president for advancement at St. Peter’s College, where he worked closely with the college’s president and Fordham Trustee James N. Loughran, S.J., (CFO ’64, GAS ’66 and ’75).
He was most recently the senior vice president for de-velopment at the Foundation of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. In his new role, while overseeing the Office of Development, Larkin will also be serving as the senior strategist for the University’s current Campaign. “During Father O’Hare’s historic presidency and under the generous leadership support of its benefactors, Fordham has increased the selectivity of its students, improved the quality of its facilities and strengthened existing programs,” said Larkin. “This next Campaign will seek to identify and secure the resources which will ensure that Fordham remains among the elite Jesuit and national liberal arts universities.”
According to Santonocito, the exact goal of the next Campaign cannot be determined until the University completes its needs and resource assessment for endowment, facilities and restricted and unrestricted support. However, it’s already apparent that this Campaign will have a goal in excess of $325 million, more than double that of the last Campaign. Larkin received a B.A. in philosophy from Haverford College and an M.S. in education from Fordham. He and his wife, Cheryl, live in Princeton, N.J.
