McNeill named vice president for development at AU

After a national search, Auburn University President Jay Gogue has named veteran higher education fundraiser, Jeffrey P. McNeill, as vice president for development.

McNeill replaces Dr. Bob McGinnis, who is retiring next week but will continue to support the university by working as senior counsel to the president. McGinnis has been with Auburn since 2002 and led the university through the “It Begins at Auburn” capital campaign, the largest fundraiser at Auburn as well as in the state.

President of the McNeill Group, a fundraising and higher-education management consulting firm in South Carolina, McNeill has nearly 30 years of experience leading development initiatives at other large institutions, including 25 at land-grant universities.

“Jeffrey McNeill’s prior experience with land grant institutions makes him an ideal choice for this position,” Gogue said. “He has dealt with many models of fundraising, has extensive foundation experience and has been involved with four campaigns, all of which will be vital to Auburn in the coming years.”

McNeill was a manager in Clemson University’s first capital campaign and led the development office to win the U.S. Steel Award for sustained giving in a national competition. At North Carolina State University, McNeill helped grow the university’s endowment by $136 million, moving it into the top 25 public universities for endowment market value, and led a campaign focused on student scholarships to a successful conclusion. At the University of Alabama, McNeill established several giving societies and set a record in overall giving to the university.

“I am excited to be joining the Auburn team and returning to higher-education development. Land-grant institutions exist to give back to their communities, which falls in line with my own values,” McNeill said.