Academics should embrace philanthropic activities in higher education and recognise that there¡¯s ¡°a real reward¡± in getting involved in fundraising, according to a dean at a Canadian university.

Edward Iacobucci, dean and James M. Tory professor of law at the University of Toronto, said that scholars ¡°can¡¯t be aloof¡± from alumni engagement and fundraising and should not see such activity as the academic equivalent of a ¡°trip to the dentist¡±.

¡°It is profoundly important that academics and scholars see themselves as part of that enterprise,¡± he told Times Higher Education.?¡°They should recognise that there¡¯s a real reward in getting involved in this, not only because it can do great things for the institution but [also because] it is a reminder of how the institution is important.¡±

Professor?Iacobucci?said that his position as head of an academic department was a ¡°challenging¡± job, particularly given that there are now ¡°budget pressures that didn¡¯t exist in the same way historically¡±.

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But he singled out philanthropy as one of the ¡°unexpected real advantages¡± of his role and an activity that is ¡°important on a professional level¡± and ¡°actually fun¡± on a personal level.

¡°It doesn¡¯t feel entirely natural to ask people for money. That¡¯s not something that we normally do in our day-to-day lives. But what is fun is meeting really interesting people,¡± he said.

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¡°There are many places that will have an alumni base that is doing really interesting things all over the world. Just getting to talk to them about what they¡¯re doing is actually a great deal of fun.¡±

Becoming involved in fundraising has also meant that Professor?Iacobucci ¡°cares¡± more about the university, because he can ¡°see the role that it plays in people¡¯s lives¡±.

¡°To meet alumni who say, ¡®you know I think about my law school education every day and here¡¯s how¡¯, it¡¯s really gratifying,¡± he said.?¡°I¡¯ve been teaching for 20 years and I¡¯ll occasionally see alumni here and there in a scattered way but not in a systematic way.

¡°In this job, it¡¯s been a privilege to, in a systematic way, touch base with a lot of different alumni and hear from them how important different aspects of the programme [have been] to them. [It makes you] think [that] this is really meaningful work.¡±

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Professor?Iacobucci said that Canada was probably about a ¡°decade¡± ahead of the UK in terms of higher education fundraising, but reiterated that the UK could become stronger at this activity by getting academics more involved.

¡°Don¡¯t be aloof from it and recognise the benefits for the institution ¨C not just financial but also the intellectual and professional value-added that your graduates can bring to your students,¡± he advised scholars.

He added that there are many ways in which academics can work with alumni, highlighting that former students are ¡°really useful complements to our academic programming¡±.

¡°We bring back alumni all the time to talk to our students about their future careers,¡± he said.?¡°They¡¯re a great resource for the student body and alumni really enjoy that kind of interaction.¡±

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ellie.bothwell@timeshighereducation.com