Fairfield University announces new vice president for finance

Fairfield University announces new vice president for finance


Image: Julie Dolan Rev. Jeffrey von Arx, S.J., president of Fairfield University, announced today the appointment of Julie L. Dolan, MBA, as vice president for finance, effective July 1, 2010. Ms. Dolan, who now serves as associate vice president of fiscal affairs at Dartmouth College, will fill the position left vacant when William J. Lucas, MBA, retires in June after 41 years of service to the university.

"Because of this moment in the evolution of Fairfield University, and with the economic challenges that we face in the coming years, a vice president for finance with comprehensive and sophisticated financial expertise and a proven record of leadership in higher education is essential if we are to achieve the ambitious goals that we have set for ourselves as a community," Fr. von Arx said. "I am delighted that Ms. Dolan has agreed to join us and bring her extensive experience, as well as her collegial spirit, optimism, and energy, to our university."

In thanking Mr. Lucas, a 1969 alumnus of Fairfield, Fr. von Arx said, "The contributions to Fairfield of Bill Lucas cannot be overstated. It is thanks to his sound and prudent fiscal management that we are as fortunate as we are at the current moment, better able than many institutions to adapt to the current economic situation."

Ms. Dolan holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Stanford University and an MBA in management and public policy from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. As associate vice president at Dartmouth since 2001, she provided advice and counsel to the president and trustees on matters of financial strategy and resource allocation and oversaw the college's debt management and endowment.

Ms. Dolan said she was attracted to Fairfield by the "exciting vision for the future," that Father von Arx presented. "I am very much looking forward to becoming a part of the Fairfield team and to helping Fairfield fulfill its strategic plan to the fullest extent. I couldn't be happier."

Prior to Dartmouth, she served as the director of operations at Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. From 1995 until 1999 she served as assistant dean of finance in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, and then as acting associate dean. At Harvard, Ms. Dolan developed and managed the college's operating and capital budgets and revamped the college's long-range financial plan, among other duties. From 1989 to 1995 she held a series of posts at Tufts University, including manager of financial analysis and assistant director of the Office of Financial Planning and Budget.

As vice president for finance at Fairfield, Ms. Dolan will provide financial leadership. Working with the vice presidents of all divisions, she will evaluate current financial operations to determine areas that need to be reshaped and developed, and prepare financial models and analysis to evaluate Fairfield's resources and financial potential. In addition, she will oversee human resources, coordinate legal support, and oversee the university budget, financial allocations, and investments.

Fr. von Arx said he had every confidence that Ms. Dolan will succeed in pursuing the sound financial strategies that have characterized the leadership of Bill Lucas for so many years. "Our University community will prove to be a beneficiary of her impressive range of experience in higher education."

Posted On: 04-13-2010 10:04 AM

Volume: 42 Number: 267