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May 13, 2005/Iyar 4 5765, Volume 57, No. 37
New ASU Foundation head has big fund-raising plans
MARILYN HAWKES
Special to Jewish News
Ira Jackson proudly shows visitors the view from his sixth-floor office in the new ASU Foundation building. The Arizona State University campus spreads out in front of Jackson's office as a constant reminder of the job ahead: to advance ASU President Michael Crow's vision of the new American university.
Jackson, 56, is a former senior fellow at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He says one of the reasons he left his prestigious position at Harvard to become the ASU Foundation president is because Michael Crow's vision resonated with his own values.
"My values are shaped by my upbringing, which was not only influenced by my parents, but by my Judaism," he says. "We aspire to excellence as Jews, especially academically and intellectually. We also have an obligation to ensure that our society achieves social justice and is inclusive so that others are not denied the freedoms that we were once denied."
So when Michael Crow came to him with the idea of the new American university - one that is committed to intellectual excellence, social inclusion and being embedded in the community - Jackson jumped at the chance to be part of it.
Even though Jackson and his wife have a long history in Boston, they are looking forward to this new passage in their lives both personally and professionally. She still resides in Boston, until the last of their four children graduates from high school in June.
"I'm a little unsettled," Jackson says, "but I'm loving it here even though my bride of 27 years is 2,800 miles away. It's going great, but I miss my family."
A separate nonprofit organization, the ASU Foundation raises, invests and manages private gifts to benefit ASU.
Throughout his career, Jackson has been involved in leadership and fund-raising positions in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
Jackson points out that ASU has close to 60,000 students and a $250 million endowment, while Harvard has just 17,000 students and a $23 billion endowment. He realizes the challenge ahead.
Jackson acknowledges that fund-raising in Arizona will be more difficult because most people don't have deep roots here, but he's not discouraged. Charitable patterns are changing.
"ASU has enjoyed the four largest gifts in its history in the last two years," Jackson says. "Some very substantial people in this community have stepped up to the plate."
Having been in Arizona only since January, Jackson understands he has a lot to learn about the community. He sees tremendous opportunity in Phoenix, which is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States. "Phoenix is a work in progress, as is ASU."
He likens Phoenix to the America we read about in the history books.
"It's sort of our America to shape, rather than being the America that was given to us shaped by others."
As Phoenix grows, Jackson wonders if this generation will be able to provide value-added jobs for the next. Will there be social justice in a Phoenix of 7 million residents? Will people be attracted to Phoenix not only because of the gorgeous weather and economic opportunities, but also because it is a sophisticated city with world-class educational institutions?
In the meantime, ASU is attracting Nobel Laureates, members of the National Academies of Engineering and Science, and more National Merit Scholars than ever before.
"Mah nishtanah?" asks Jackson. "Why on this night of all nights is it ASU?"
He feels there's an excitement and optimism about the university that exudes a positive energy.
Many people have asked him why someone from Harvard would come to ASU, of all places. His answer is immediate. "I think this is the future. I think we've got intellectual talent that's competitive, and I think we've got a president without parallel and peer."
One of Jackson's projects is to raise money for the First Generation Scholarship Program, which will enable Arizona's first-generation students to attend ASU. This has a special appeal to him. Being of Jewish descent, he recognizes the parallels to first-generation Jews in this country who could not afford education.
"I hope to be able to raise tens of millions of dollars while I'm here to increase first-generation scholarships," he says.
As for the rest of his fund-raising goals, he says, "I don't think I'll shock your readership in my first interview by putting out a number, but it's not modest or insignificant."
Before coming to ASU, Jackson was involved in many ambitious projects in the Boston area. As an executive vice president of BankBoston, he was instrumental in establishing a "bank within a bank" designed to meet the banking and credit needs of thousands of disenfranchised inner-city residents. The First Community Bank became a model for other banks that replicated the idea.
More recently, he co-authored "Profits with Principles: Seven Strategies for Delivering Value with Values," which profiles 50 companies that are at "the cutting edge of a quiet revolution that's taking place in many corporations around the world."
Jackson looks forward to being a part of the Phoenix Jewish community and getting to know its leadership. Having just moved here, he's still finding his way. The Jacksons will keep a summer home on the East Coast, but this year he won't be going there much. There's a lot of work to do.
"I love tough challenges," he says. "My mom never said it was going to be easy."
Marilyn Hawkes is a freelance writer in Scottsdale.
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