Stanford U. Cuts Fund-Raising Jobs

In the latest sign that the recession is endangering fund raisers’ job security, Stanford University has decided to lay off nearly 20 percent of its development staff, the Mercury News reports.

Stanford’s cutbacks, which will affect about 50 positions, came as a surprise: Stanford is a fund-raising powerhouse, raising $785-million last year — more than any other university — and the institution is in the middle of a drive to raise $4.3-billion, the nation’s most ambitious campaign goal, by 2011.

Fund-raising positions, once regarded as recession proof, have been cut at other universities, such as the University of Washington. Effective this month, the university eliminated 70 fulltime development positions and made 16 others into part-time jobs.

According to a March survey by Eduventures, a Boston educational consulting group, 13 percent of university fund-raising offices are laying off workers, and nearly two-thirds are reducing their budgets for travel, fund-raising events, and other expenses.

At Stanford, fund raisers are now focusing on ways to meet the institution’s ambitious campaign goal.

“It is a challenge,” admits Martin Shell, Stanford’s vice president of development. “The people we let go were a good group of people. This had everything to do with the economy, not the people.”