As the star player on Yale's basketball team in the late 1950s, John J. Lee '58E, '59 M.Eng. helped lead the Bulldogs to its first Ivy championship in nearly a decade and became a national sensation for setting new Ivy records in the sport. Today, nearly 30 years later, Mr. Lee has led his alma mater to yet another record-breaking victory, this time as the national chair of the University's "...and for Yale" campaign -- the most successful fundraising effort by a college or university in history.
It was to the entire basketball team and its fans that Mr. Lee gave credit for his feats on the court all those years ago, and it is the huge team of loyal fans and supporters of the University that he now applauds for Yale's success in raising $1.702 billion during the five-year capital campaign, the University's largest fundraising initiative to date.
"Our success is a wonderful capstone for everyone at the University -- the officers, the trustees, the 2,200 volunteers across the country, our alumni contributors and the staff of the Development Office," says Mr. Lee. "It was tremendously gratifying for me to have taken part in such a remarkable team effort."
As the national chair, Mr. Lee was responsible for overseeing the 2,200 alumni volunteers who solicited donations across the country and for directing the efforts of the alumni leaders of separate divisions of the campaign, such as the Yale Alumni Fund (general solicitation), corporation/foundation gifts, leadership and major gifts and other areas. He also took "personal possession," he says, for raising funds for the $100 million renovation and expansion project at the Payne Whitney Gymnasium.
"My involvement in gaining support for the gym project is tied into my Yale roots there," explains Mr. Lee, a long-time supporter of the University's athletic programs. Last year, the gym's amphitheater, which is used for basketball, volleyball and gymnastics competitions, was named the John J. Lee Amphitheatre in honor of the former basketball champion, who turned down a chance to play with the New York Knicks to attend graduate school at Yale.
Mr. Lee's responsibility as national chair of the "...and for Yale" campaign
required him to criss-cross the country to speak to alumni and potential donors, as well to meet with a network of campaign volunteers. He juggled daily responsibilities connected to the fundraising drive with his permanent position as chief executive officer of a global enterprise, the Stamford, Connecticut-based Hexcel Corporation, a leader in advanced composite materials for aerospace, industrial and recreational markets. In addition, Mr. Lee is an alumni trustee on the Yale Corporation, serves as chair of the Corporation's Committee on Development and Alumni Affairs, and is the longest-serving member of the University's Investment Committee.
"Over the past four years I felt like I had two full-time jobs," comments Mr. Lee, who assumed responsibility for the campaign from Vernon Loucks '57, former senior fellow of the Yale Corporation who was the national chair in the campaign's first year. "Now that the campaign's over, my colleagues at work get to see me more frequently," he adds.
During his stewardship of the campaign, Mr. Lee admits that there were brief periods when he had doubts about reaching the $1.5 billion goal, uncertainties which -- in hindsight -- were unfounded, he says.
Affirmation by alumni
"I'm amazed and thrilled with this achievement," Mr. Lee comments. "Our success really exceeded my expectations in a number of ways, and is such a great affirmation by alumni that we share in our support of the University's current administration, its programs and its goals and objectives. And on account of that, alumni gave generously to secure the University's financial future."
A scholarship student during his undergraduate years at Yale, Mr. Lee says he is personally pleased with the $107 million in endowed funds for financial aid because those funds help to ensure that the University sustains its policy of admitting students regardless of their financial circumstances. "I feel passionately about the University's ability to attract a diverse group of students from all kinds of backgrounds," says the alumnus, who notes that he himself was the son of immigrant parents.
Nearly 70 percent of alumni donated
He also is particularly proud of the campaign's nearly
70 percent alumni participation rate and of these donors' support of the University's building and renovations projects. "Traditionally, funds for the maintenance and renovation of buildings are the most difficult dollars to obtain, as alumni are more inclined to contribute to the endowment. That $424 million in gifts and pledges was raised for capital projects says that our donors appreciate and care about the massive renovation work the University is undertaking on behalf of its buildings and the programs they house."
In addition, he says that the generosity of younger donors -- normally expected to contribute lesser amounts of money -- was also a surprise to himself and other campaign managers. Among the many significant contributions from graduates since 1972 were 41 gifts of more than $100,000, including one gift of $2.5 million, notes Mr. Lee.
"Early into the campaign, there was a big question as to whether or not the baton will be passed to the next generation," he recalls. "Today, the indication is that yes, it will -- and that our younger alumni are gladly willing to receive it."
-- By Susan Gonzalez