New Leadership for Development, Corporate and Alumni Relations

Bentley University has a new vice president for development, corporate and alumni relations. John W. Mosser, former director of major gifts at Cornell University, started in June. He succeeds Bob Minetti, who retired after 27 years at Bentley.

Mosser arrives with a wealth of institutional advancement experience. He has held positions with a focus on volunteer recruitment and man- agement, career planning, annual giving, gift and estate planning, international fund raising, and corporate and foundation relations, as well as major- and principal-gift fund raising.

At Cornell, Mosser led a team of senior major-gift fund raisers in support of a $4 billion campaign, and played a central role in developing a successful annual-planning model for major gift solicitation.

“John has extensive fund raising and advancement management experience and has delivered considerable results in major comprehensive campaigns,” says Bentley President Gloria Cordes Larson. “We are fortunate to have his level of expertise, as Bentley undertakes an ambitious strategic plan and seeks to grow the volunteer leadership and philanthropic resources necessary to transform our vision into reality.”

Mosser is both honored and energized by his appointment. “I am impressed with Bentley’s steep upward trajectory as one of the nation’s finest business universities,” he says. “I look forward to working closely with volunteer leadership and staff to continue to see Bentley grow in national and international stature, volunteer engagement, and financial strength.”

The new vice president holds a BS in Business Administration from Southern Illinois University, an Master of Public Administration from Northern Illinois University, and a PhD in Higher Education Administration from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. He served as vice president for institutional advancement and head of the college foundation at SUNY Cortland before going to Cornell. At Cortland, he directed a comprehensive effort to prepare the college for a $25 million campaign.

Mosser’s professional life in academia began in the career planning office at Northern Illinois University. From there, he joined Kalamazoo College, where he worked for the next 10 years. While pursuing a doctorate, he worked in annual giving and corporate and foundation relations for the University of Michigan, and moved on to Michigan Technological University after completing his dissertation.

He earned a certificate in planned giving from the National Planned Giving Institute at the College of William and Mary, then joined the fund-raising team at Bucknell University. There, over a 10-year period, Mosser worked through all phases of a $150 million comprehensive campaign, including planned giving, major gifts, and principal gifts. He also served as interim vice president for university relations and special assistant to the president of the university.

Leading the insitituitional advancement program at Bentley offers a "once in a lifetime opportunity to join the university at a remarkably exciting moment in its history," Mosser says. "The addition of PhD programs and attainment of university status are but two examples of Bentley’s accelerating momentum as a national business university. The opportunity to expand relationships with our alumni, parents and friends during the years ahead is simply phenomenal.”