Rockhurst University Names New Vice President for Advancement

Following a nationwide search, Rockhurst University has named Thomas N. Dart vice president for advancement effective July 1.

Dart will serve as a member of the senior leadership team, encouraging partnerships and providing opportunities for meaningful engagement among the university’s internal and external constituencies. He will assist the president in fund-raising efforts through donor cultivation and stewardship and will lead staff responsible for planned, annual, foundation and major gifts, plus alumni outreach.

Dart comes to Rockhurst from Dominican University in River Forest, Ill., where he serves as assistant vice president for institutional advancement. In addition to his experience with Dominican, Dart has held fund-raising positions at John Carroll University and the University of Chicago.

Dart brings an international perspective to his work, having served the Catholic Relief Services in a number of roles, including leadership to programs in the Middle East and former Yugoslavia, and service in Rwanda and Burkina Faso. In addition, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tunisia.

“Through his work at Dominican and John Carroll, Tom Dart has gained an understanding of the role of Catholic higher education that will greatly enrich our efforts at Rockhurst,” said the Rev. Thomas B. Curran, O.S.F.S., president. “And his commitment to service reflects a Rockhurst core value.”

Dart received an undergraduate degree in secondary education from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in international development from Clark University.