Waites Named Vice President at SWOSU

January 21, 2008

Jim Waites

Southwestern Oklahoma State University has a new vice president.

Jim Waites has been promoted to vice president for institutional advancement, effective February 1. The promotion was approved at the recent Regional University System of Oklahoma (RUSO) board meeting held in Ada.

Waites has been the chief fundraiser and alumni director at SWOSU since 1990 when he was named director of development with the SWOSU Foundation. He added the SWOSU Alumni Association duties in 1991 and had another title change in 2001 when he was named assistant to the president for institutional advancement.

During his time at SWOSU, the Foundation has grown from $820,000 to over $13 million. He has directed three major capital fundraising campaigns. Waites manages and administers the SWOSU Foundation scholarship program.

Waites developed the SWOSU Alumni Membership drive and initiated and directed the SWOSU Alumni and Friends Classic Golf Tournament the past 14 years. He was also instrumental in establishing the SWOSU Alumni Affinity credit card program that benefits the SWOSU Alumni Association.

Waites is a 1969 graduate of SWOSU and a native of Memphis, Texas. He earned his master’s degree from SWOSU in 1971. He and his wife, Kathleen, have two sons—Michael and Matt—and one grandson, Tyler.