Vice Chancellor for Development David Routh to step down at the end of the Campaign for Carolina
"David will have overseen the Campaign for Carolina from start to finish, focusing not only on reaching campaign goals but on building a high-performing team that has gotten us where we are today. I am incredibly grateful for his vision and leadership. He built a roadmap that ensured our success for this campaign and beyond."
Dear Carolina Community,
Earlier this year, we celebrated a historic milestone surpassing the Campaign for Carolina goal of $4.25 billion one year before the campaign’s end. I thank our more than 200,000 loyal donors and alumni who have given generously because they believe in Carolina and its future. I’ve said before that donating is an act of hope that we can turn generosity into impact.
These donors are hopeful in large part because of the tireless work of our development staff who build the relationships that keep them feeling connected to Carolina. The development team raises money every day to fund the University’s top priorities, including bolstering our commitment to access and affordability, recruiting and retaining a world-class faculty and staff, while also preparing our students to be the leaders of tomorrow. Private giving is critical in advancing our mission as a leading global public research university.
For nine years, Vice Chancellor for Development David Routh has been at the fundraising helm, and it is bittersweet to share that he has decided to step down from his position at the end of the campaign. David will have overseen the Campaign for Carolina from start to finish, focusing not only on reaching campaign goals but on building a high-performing team that has gotten us where we are today. I am incredibly grateful for his vision and leadership. He built a roadmap that ensured our success for this campaign and beyond.
During David’s tenure, Carolina joined an elite group of public universities to surpass $4 billion in a single campaign — and is the only university in the history of the South to exceed $4.25 billion in a completed campaign. In this campaign, we received the largest private gift in Carolina’s history, $100 million from Dr. Fred Eshelman for the Eshelman Institute for Innovation in the pharmacy school that bears his name. More than 675 Carolina alumni, parents, friends, corporations and foundations have given more than $1 million to this historic effort, and 67 of those have given more than $10 million during this campaign. That is a remarkable achievement for this University that we all love.
As we approach the close of the Campaign for Carolina in December, we are already thinking about what’s next after this campaign. David made his decision now to allow us time to identify and onboard the next leadership team that will help drive those planning efforts and will lead us forward once the Campaign for Carolina is completed. We will soon begin a search for David’s successor, and I’m confident we will quickly identify the kind of leader who can bridge our current success with our goals for the future.
In the meantime, please join me in thanking David for all this team has accomplished. This team is well positioned to ensure we continue the positive momentum for Carolina’s future.
Sincerely,
Kevin M. Guskiewicz
Chancellor
