Auburn University: Rob Wellbaum has been elevated to senior vice president for Advancement at Auburn University, President Christopher B. Roberts announced today.
Wellbaum, whose appointment is effective immediately, has served Auburn as the vice president for Philanthropy in Auburn Advancement since 2022, and as the senior associate athletics director for Development between 2016 and 2022. Beginning in 1998 as a development officer in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, Wellbaum has more than 25 years of experience in development at Auburn.
Roberts stated, “I am impressed by the breadth and depth of experience that Rob brings to this important position, as well as his unwavering dedication to Auburn.” “I am extremely confident that he will provide strong leadership to all facets of our advancement enterprise and continue its ascent as we strive to better serve our university and alumni.”
Wellbaum currently directs Auburn’s principal and significant gift fundraising initiatives and teams. In his new position, he will be in charge of Auburn Advancement, which encompasses communications and marketing, advancement operations and strategy, engagement and philanthropy. Wellbaum stated that he is committed to the advancement model and believes in the vision for the university articulated by Roberts and Provost Vini Nathan.
Auburn University promotes Rob Wellbaum
Wellbaum stated, “A few years ago, university leadership reunited Alumni Affairs and Development with the Office of Communications and Marketing to form Auburn Advancement.” We have made great advances and are now better and stronger than before. Our organisation has undergone significant change over the past quarter century, but our mission has remained unwavering: to support Auburn University’s efforts to educate students, drive innovation and discovery, and enhance the lives of state, regional, and national citizens.
In addition, Wellbaum will be in charge of the Auburn University Foundation and Auburn Alumni Association. During his time at Auburn, Wellbaum served as the senior associate vice president of the central development office, interim vice president for Development, and president of the Auburn University Foundation.
His duties included the design and management of Auburn’s $1 billion “Because This Is Auburn” campaign. Prior to joining Auburn, Wellbaum worked in development for what is now Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, formerly the Scottish Rite Children’s Medical Centre Foundation.
Auburn awarded him a bachelor’s degree in international business.
Auburn University is a nationally ranked land-grant institution renowned for its dedication to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation, and unrivalled undergraduate education. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research collaborators collaborate to develop and deliver significant scholarship, science and technology-based innovations that address urgent regional, national, and global needs. Auburn’s dedication to active student engagement, professional success, and public-private partnership has resulted in a growing reputation for outreach and extension that has broad economic, health, and societal effects.