'A greater reputation makes alumni's degrees much more valuable'

US fundraiser Joe Beyel has taken up the post of director of development at Nottingham University

Joe Beyel has been responsible for fundraising campaigns totalling well over $735 million (£392 million) in the US.

This week, he took up the post of director of development at Nottingham University. He said he was waiting until he had analysed Nottingham's strategy before he set a fundraising target, but he refuted the view that fundraising was easier in the US. The UK was in a similar position to US public universities, he said, which have only recently begun to target alumni.

How does a university persuade graduates to give? "You make the connection that it is a major influence on what they are today. A greater reputation makes their degree much more valuable."

Mr Beyel worked in a number of universities, including Duke, Michigan, Chicago and Georgetown, most recently as vice-president for university advancement at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. In his first three years there, he helped raise more than $145 million, exceeding targets by 12 per cent and 30 per cent in the next two years.

Mr Beyel said he was particularly impressed by Nottingham's "visionary"

vice-chancellor, Sir Colin Campbell. "I love the opportunity of working with people who can see education as a global opportunity for everyone."

Mr Beyel recently made a five-year donation to his alma mater, Mount Saint Mary's University in Maryland, to support development campaign planning. He and his wife also endowed a scholarship at Louisville for gifted students.