A New Chapter for Vice President of University Advancement Dan Montplaisir

Dear Campus Community,

I write to inform you that Vice President of University Advancement Dan Montplaisir will be stepping down next month to accept an executive leadership position with a university in Gujarat, India.

Vice President Montplaisir joined Cal Poly Pomona in 2017 from the University of California, Irvine. Under his leadership, Cal Poly Pomona has made important progress in the areas of fundraising, alumni engagement, corporate partnerships and donor stewardship. During his tenure, the university secured gifts and pledges of more than $130 million, 86 percent ($115 million) of which are donations of cash or endowment contributions which immediately benefit the campus.

Vice President Montplaisir also led the establishment of the Philanthropic Foundation and the formation of its stellar board of directors. The Philanthropic Foundation includes prominent alumni and industry leaders who are raising our profile in the region, making significant investments and assisting with introductions to donors and corporate partners. Overall, Philanthropic Foundation assets increased from $120 million at formation in 2019 to $220 million at the end the last quarter. For each dollar invested in University Advancement, the university receives $6.32 in financial return on investment to support student success initiatives, facilities enhancements and academic program support.

Under Vice President Montplaisir’s leadership, philanthropy played a leading role in the Jim and Carol Collins legacy endowment at The Collins College of Hospitality Management, the Rose Float Lab and Design Complex, the Liquid Rocket Lab, the Endowed Chair in Ahimsa Studies and the Singelyn Graduate School of Business. The University Advancement division launched the President’s Circle donor recognition society, started a crowdfunding program, expanded CPP Giving Day, increased donor-funded scholarship distribution by 80 percent and created an Anti-bias Task Force to address diversity and inclusion issues from an advancement lens.

Vice President Montplaisir’s last day will be March 3, 2023, prior to which I will announce an administrator in charge for the division. We look forward to formally thanking and acknowledging Vice President Montplaisir at a farewell event to be announced shortly.

On behalf of the entire Cal Poly Pomona community, we thank Vice President Montplaisir for his many contributions to the vitality of the university and I invite you to join me in wishing him well in the next chapter of his career.

Sincerely,

Soraya M. Coley, Ph.D.
President