James Hogan, Development Officer
By Jayson Williams
James Hogan is a former English major at Western Carolina
University currently working at Davidson College. Hogan says
that being a term development officer "is a wonderful way
of saying that my job is to identify, cultivate, and steward
major donors to the college and solicit them for gifts." Hogan
is the perfect example of a successful alumnus from WCU. Not
only does he work in a field using he literary skills he honed
at WCU, but these skills also give him the chance to explore
the world and meet people from many social and economic backgrounds.
How the major helps
When asked about how being an English major from WCU prepared
him to be a successful fundraiser, Hogan states, "The most
important skill I learned at Western was how to stay curious."
After graduating from WCU, he worked as a high school English
teacher. During his planning period, Hogan discovered
the job opening as a development officer. The curiosity Hogan
had in school helped him reseasrch and score his current job.
And since he got the job, he has never looked back.
Writing is an crucial skill all students should have, Hogan
stresses. In his line of work, writing is a skill that he
had to master to become successful. Hogan meets with various
donors and writes to alumni to solicit gifts to the College.
Without his excellent writing skills, he would not be successful
at his job. Just recently Hogan wrote a letter that resulted
in a $60,000 gift to the college.
Hogan is a prime example for what WCU students hope to achieve
after graduating. He is working in a professional field that
lets him use his strengths.
|
