If you took a trip out to Horsetooth Reservoir in mid-April, you undoubtedly saw deer, birds, and other wildlife that make the area renowned as an outdoor paradise. You may have also happened upon Colorado State University’s new Vice President for University Advancement, Derek Dictson.
“Since about April 17, I’ve been living ‘in a van down by the river,’” Dictson joked before explaining how his excitement to get to know the University and community, combined with his love of the outdoors, made the decision to hitch up his fifth-wheel camper, drive the 700 miles from New Mexico State University (where he served as vice president of university advancement and president of the NMSU Foundation) to Fort Collins, and set up a temporary homestead beside Horsetooth an easy one.
Being in town two weeks before his official start date, he added, meant he could take the time to get familiar with campus and put himself in the shoes of a new student arriving at CSU for the first time.
“Getting the experience a student might have when looking at attending the University for the first time was high on my to-do list,” he said.
Two weeks after his start date, and in the middle of the May commencement ceremonies, Dictson sat down to give EverGreen an inside look at what life looks like now that he’s officially in his new role.
Q: How have you been getting to know the CSU campus and Fort Collins community?
Dictson: We spent about a month looking at houses, making seven offers before we finally got one, so I’ve seen just about every neighborhood in the county. That was an interesting way to learn about the community. I also had the opportunity to go to the FoCoMX music festival and see a lot of great venues and hear a lot of great music. Also meeting with President Amy Parsons’ cabinet, deans, and our team. I feel like I have a pretty good feel of where things are now and don’t have to use Google Maps quite as much anymore.
Q: Do you have a favorite part of campus yet?
Dictson: I discovered Sherwood Forest, and it was great learning the significance of that. My family and I are outdoorsy people and seeing so many trees native to Colorado in one place was really cool. I find myself heading there whenever I have some time to kill.
Q: Are there other places you’re excited to further explore with your family?
Dictson: We’re excited about moving to this part of the country. My wife is a fish and wildlife major and a water specialist, and we love everything with the outdoors. We’re real excited to go fishing, hiking, and exploring.
Q: What’s the best advice someone has given you since starting as VP of University Advancement?
Dictson: That’s an easy one. “Trust this team. We’ve got really talented, passionate people in this division and they’re going to have the answers to any of the challenges we face, so give them the opportunity to lead and take us where we want to go.” That’s been very true.
Q: What skills do you bring to CSU, and what skills are you excited to learn now that you’re here?
Dictson: Having been around the advancement world and seeing it from a number of angles over the past 20 years is something I’m able to bring to the job. There’s not a “one size fits all” in this industry, and I think I can bring my experiences and mix those with the ones the team has had and figure out what the CSU solution is. I think there are things we’re going to be able to do here that maybe, historically, you would have looked at and said, “I don’t think that’s possible at a place like CSU.” But coming in from the outside, I’m seeing what’s terrific and great, and that there aren’t many limitations to where we can go.
Q: How can CSU fulfill its land-grant university mission, especially in this modern era?
Dictson: President Parsons got me very excited by laying out her intention for CSU to be the model of the modern land-grant university. There’s a lot of problems with higher education – affordability, access, getting a degree that leads to a good job – but I think land-grant universities are the solution to those problems. Especially here at CSU where our mission is to make it more affordable, more accessible, and more impactful.
Q: What three words would you use to describe yourself and why?
Dictson: Curious: I’ve always been a student of the profession who likes to learn how successful places succeed and how we can apply that. Mission-focused: I want my work to matter for something more than an income. We can be successful and do good work, but we’re also impacting generations of lives of people we’ll never meet – it’s bigger than any one of us. That’s what gets me up every morning and hooked me into higher education and advancement. Authentic: Bringing the real you to work in this profession is critically important. If you don’t, your donors will see through that and faculty will have a hard time trusting what you say you’re going to do. I try to bring that each day and make sure the team feels they can as well.
Q: Is CAM the Ram the cutest animal ambassador you’ve ever been affiliated with?
Dictson: (big laugh) CAM is awesome! I was in 4H and FFA, grew up on a farm, and both my dad and granddad were extension agents. We actually raised Rambouillet sheep growing up and, yea, I thought they were pretty cute. I loved it when I found out Advancement was one of the partners that keeps CAM and the Ram Handlers tradition strong.
Q: Final question – Green and Gold or Aggie Orange?
Dictson: I spent 18 years at Texas A&M University, and with their rivalry with the University of Texas, I didn’t own a stitch of orange until I moved to Auburn University. I’ll always go with Green and Gold.