Dinah Schuster has been named senior director of development for agriculture at LSU. Photo by Olivia McClure News Release Distributed 04/23/14
BATON ROUGE, La. – Dinah Schuster has been named senior director of development for agriculture at LSU. In this newly created LSU Foundation position, she will develop a comprehensive fundraising plan for the LSU AgCenter and College of Agriculture.
Schuster, who is the former director of presidential initiatives at Montana State University, said her priorities include identifying synergies between the AgCenter and the college as well as areas of need among faculty.
"There are a lot of talented people doing extraordinary work at LSU," Schuster said. "Along with state appropriations, private charitable support will provide us with the necessary resources to achieve even greater things.”
At her previous university, Schuster launched and directed the Student Ambassador Program, a multiple-year professional internship for juniors and seniors interested in developing their leadership skills through the foundation’s donor and alumni relations outreach activities.
Schuster wants to involve LSU students in her efforts because they are the beneficiaries of donors’ generosity. They also remind potential supporters of their college experience, she said, which is key in fundraising for higher education.
"Either their experience was life-changing and they want today’s student to have the same, or their time on campus could have been better and they want to give back to ensure a good experience," she said.
Schuster earned her bachelor's degree in English and master's degree in international studies from Oklahoma State University. She said LSU already feels special because of its warm, welcoming atmosphere, which is focused on the future.
Through enhanced philanthropic efforts, Schuster hopes to give more people a chance to be part of a coordinated plan to advance LSU and its agriculture programs. That is important, she said, because agriculture affects everyone. Providing students, faculty and staff with appropriate resources is essential to our future.
"I absolutely believe that we are transforming lives and making life better for people," she said. "There is no better investment than in our land-grant university because we create opportunities.”
Olivia McClure