As vice president for Institutional Advancement, Lewis oversees the offices of Development, College Relations, and Alumni and Parent Relations. Due to his efforts, said Austin College President Oscar C. Page, the College has enjoyed “significant success in the fundraising area.”  Most important, this includes the completion in 2004 of a $120 million campaign, the largest in the history of Austin College.

Prior to his arrival at Austin College, Lewis served in a similar capacity at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was executive director of development for two years before becoming vice president.  Prior to his time at Millsaps, Lewis began his career in fundraising at Southern Methodist University, first as associate director for university development and later as director of development for the Perkins School of Theology.

Raised in Texas, and the son of a Methodist minister, Lewis earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from East Texas State University, now known as Texas A&M University–Commerce.  He later earned his MBA degree from SMU. Active in several professional organizations, Lewis served most recently as conference director for the annual region IV Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) conference held in Dallas in 2007.

Lewis’s announcement came one week after Dr. Page announced he will step down as Austin College president effective June 2009. In a message to the Austin College campus community, Dr. Page stressed that “timing is coincidental, and the two actions are not related.”

Dr. Page added, “As many of you know, the tenure of a vice president for institutional advancement at any college is much shorter than what Jim has experienced at Austin College. People with Jim’s talent and experience are in great demand, and it happens that the University of Texas at Arlington’s need and Jim’s interest in pursuing new opportunities at some point in the future coincided at this time in the history of Austin College.”

Effective May 10, Dr. Jerry Holbert, who is currently serving as associate vice president for Institutional Advancement, will assume the position of vice president for Institutional Advancement. Holbert came to Austin College two years ago from Stephen F. Austin State University, where he served as vice president for Institutional Advancement for 13 years. 

“Since he has worked with Jim Lewis for the last two years,” said Dr. Page, “Jerry Holbert has become familiar with Austin College. This familiarity, along with his previous leadership experiences in this area, provides a strong background for Dr. Holbert to step into this new leadership position on our campus.”

About Austin College

Austin College is a leading national independent liberal arts college located approximately 30 miles north of the greater Dallas metroplex in Sherman, Texas. Founded in 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter, the 1,300 student residential college is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally for academic excellence in the areas of international education, pre-professional training, and leadership studies, Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges that Change Lives.