McRobbie appoints new IU Foundation president

Eugene Tempel has been chosen to take Curt Simic’s place as IU Foundation president starting Sept. 1, according to an IU press release.\nIU President Michael McRobbie appointed Tempel, the current executive director of IU’s Center on Philanthropy on the Indianapolis campus, to the position Wednesday, according to the press release. IU Foundation Board of Directors Vice Chairman Gus Watanabe, who was on the search committee for the new president, said it will be difficult to replace Simic, but because of Tempel’s experience in philanthropy, Watanabe has no qualms.\n“I think the transition will be smooth and easy,” he said.\nTempel was chosen after a 15-member search committee conducted a nationwide search. The committee was made up of three IU trustees, two deans of a couple of schools on campus and the rest were members of the IU Foundation board, he said. \nTempel is active in the Association of Fundraising Professionals and helped create the Center on Philanthropy in 1987, according to the news release. He holds various leadership positions on the Bloomington and Indianapolis campus, and last year he received the James L. Fisher Award for his service to education.\nTemple said he was excited about the appointment, and is looking forward to starting in the fall. \n“The key thing is to take a look at the success at the IU Foundation over the past 20 years and look at how we can build on that,” he said.\nThe IU Foundation will have a large role in the coming years executing the vision McRobbie announced for the University last year, said Barbara Coffman, IU Foundation executive director for strategic planning and communications. McRobbie’s vision includes campus improvements regarding financial aid, construction and other areas, \n“All of those are going to require private support,” she said.\nDuring Simic’s time as the IU Foundation’s president, its endowment grew from $214 million in 1988 to $1.6 billion, according to the news release. IU is also one of the top 20 colleges in the country for support from the private sector. \nTempel, who currently lives in Indianapolis, said he will take up residence in Bloomington and commute between the two cities. Before he officially takes office in the fall, he said he wants to meet with other leaders on campus as well as the staff at the IU Foundation.\n“It’s just a general excitement about what’s possible here... to be able to lead an organization like this,” he said.