News from Network of California Community College Foundations

Name: Ernest Ewin
Institution: Grossmont College
Number of years at Institution: 2
Number of years in College Advancement: 2 (+ 3 years as a Board member)

What are your greatest successes in your current role: Being able to engage the Departments, faculty and staff to partner in fund raising by developing easy "message" tools for their use. Additionally, as a local elected official, I have focused on creating a vice versa awareness of the campus by the community and the community of the campus. Finally, we now have in place significant tools and policies which are beginning to have an effect on giving awareness in the entire community. These tools -as simple as a naming rights policy- are enabling us to visit with levels of donors not previously approached.

What are your greatest challenges:
1) Building a Board of Directors with the diverse backgrounds and skills to push me and make goals/targets realities.
2) Getting the Faculty and Staff to view themselves as true community at-large resources. I believe we have the expertise to be the first contact point for business as community expertise resources. Their involvement leads to open doors for endowments and current financial support.
3 Leveraging the graduate/30 units or more taken "alumni" of this 48 year old college into contributions and contacts.
4) Developing a more business like approach -innovate or die!

What about being an a Foundation Executive Director is meaningful to you:
I started at Grossmont College in 1966. Perhaps typical of some of our students, I was looking for a purpose and a goal. In my second year took a course in Economics from a really tough, no nonsense instructor and that did it. Went on to San Diego State took my degree in Economic /minor in Finance and went into the Banking area.
A few years back I returned to the campus as a member of the Foundation Board. I always had a sense of obligation to this college and when the opportunity arose to assist as the Executive Director, I took it. There is nothing better than watching the faces of families , friends and fellow students at Graduation. You see the positive effect of what has been accomplished coupled with the new hope for the future. That makes it all worth while!

What hobbies do you enjoy outside of work: While at Grossmont College I was student body president. Politics has always been a community service obligation for me. I have been an elected official, La Mesa City Council, for 6 years in the 1980's and currently since 2002. I serve on the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System's, Board of Directors and have Chaired 2 Citizen's Bond Oversight Committees. But my best "hobbies" are the 11 Grandchildren I am blessed with.