The Office of Alumni Relations is an important department within the Division of Development and Alumni Relations. The office leads the engagement and programmatic strategy for our off-campus constituents, primarily alumni, but also parents and families of current students, and community volunteers. Reporting to the Director of Alumni Engagement, the Assistant Director, Parents and Families Programming serves as the primary point of contact for inquiries from parents of current students. They play a crucial role in connecting parents to the university and helping them understand their vital role in their student’s success. The Assistant Director will oversee a range of programs and initiatives, including Families Weekend, online webinars, newsletters, and other touchpoints with parents and families throughout a student’s academic journey and beyond.

The OwlConnect Specialist, a member of the Development Information Services team in the Development and Alumni Relations Division at Rice University, supports end users in using OwlConnect, Rice University’s campus-wide advancement system (powered by Blackbaud CRM) and the BBIS (Blackbaud Internet Solutions) platform. The OwlConnect Specialist supports end users in one or more business units as a dedicated resource for OwlConnect and BBIS. Their responsibilities include triaging and submitting requests, documenting business processes, facilitating training and onboarding, and serving as a general resource for ongoing business needs. The OwlConnect Specialist may be assigned to different tasks depending on the time of year, staffing, or priorities. In addition, the OwlConnect Specialist will serve as a subject matter expert in OwlConnect and BBIS.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President, Individual Giving, the Director, Parent and Family Philanthropy (Director) will develop and lead a comprehensive parent and family giving fundraising program to generate significant major gift fundraising from parents, grandparents, and families to support the mission and goals of Rice University. This position works independently and collaborates extensively with colleagues within the Development and Alumni Relations division (DAR) and throughout the University on fundraising, volunteer engagement, and communications. The Director will provide vision and leadership of a comprehensive and well-integrated parent and family fundraising program for Rice as part of its major gifts and principal gifts fundraising, and in preparation for the most aspirational, comprehensive capital campaign in the history of Rice, while also raising the sustainable level of parent and family giving beyond the campaign.

Under the supervision of the Executive Director, DAR Communications and Marketing, the Associate Director of Creative Services develops and implements creative design strategies for Rice University’s Development and Alumni Relations division. Specific duties include the design of print communications such as direct mail solicitations, invitations, brochures and newsletters, as well as digital communications including webpages, emails, social media campaigns and video graphics. The Associate Director of Creative Services partners with a range of division partners (alumni relations, annual giving, major gifts, etc.) to develop communication plans and design strategies, stay abreast of best practices and trends, attend and/or advise on press checks, and help ensure the high quality and visual consistency of marketing materials produced by the division. The Associate Director of Creative Services leads a team of two graphic design professionals and works closely with campus partners, including Rice’s Public Affairs division, to represent and promote Rice University’s brand.