Rick Swantz is one of those people who knows just everybody. "Making connections," says Swantz, development director in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, "is integral to my work." His job is to help raise funds through gifts and donations. That means getting to know people, their dreams and life stories.
"I try to treat everybody the same," Swantz says. "I’m open and will talk to anybody. Walking and talking with people is one of my favorite activities."
In his Mrak Hall office, Swantz has walking boots and a straw hat he dons for strolls in the UC Davis Arboretum during his lunch hour.
"You’ll see me walking around the arboretum at lunch hour. Some of our nicest gifts in the college have come from people supporting the arboretum," he says.
One of the nicest gifts is represented in the planned Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science.
Swantz has roots in agriculture. His father was an agricultural economist for the USDA. Swantz, who came to UC Davis in 1997, worked at Washington State Univ-ersity in Pullman for 20 years, rising to the level of director of development in their agricultural college. Swantz also earned his master’s degree in political science from Washington State.
Diversity, he says, is one of the most appealing aspects ofCaption goes here Northern California. "Our region has so many variations in agricultural products as well as ethnic backgrounds. I enjoy learning about people and their different cultures."
Swantz spent four years in the U.S. Navy, including two tours in Vietnam aboard a destroyer, and three college summers digging ditches in Washington, D.C. Both experiences had profound impacts on him.
"I think back to being a 23-year-old junior officer in charge of several dozen enlisted men and wonder about all that responsibility and its maturing effects," he says. "And I recall how much I learned about work ethics from the men I dug ditches with – some of the hardest working people I ever met."
What’s something people don’t know about you?
I like to write poetry. Not real heavy stuff but about friends and people and what’s going on. Mostly for retirement dinners and parties. The last couple I wrote included one for my daughter’s wedding and another about the time I worked as a ditch digger.
My favorite poet is James B. Earley, who also happens to be Robert Mondavi’s chauffeur. I have one of his two books.
What do you like best about your job?
Interacting with the donors and getting to know the faculty and staff. On the best days, I’m helping people steer their charitable gifts toward the kind of projects they want to support.
Who’s your favorite diva?
You mean there’s another other than Bette Midler?
What’s the best advice you would offer about fund-raising?
The donor is always right. When fund-raisers wake up in the morning, they should remind themselves that a donor is interested in perpetuating his or her values. By this I mean supporting education in the way they believe.
Read any good books lately?
I recently read A Beautiful Mind and it reminded me of the intellectual firepower one comes upon in higher education. I also peruse a lot of newspapers. Not too long ago a friend gave me The Idiot’s Guide to Tae Kwon Do, and I’m not sure if I should read it (chuckle). I also read Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time, but only digested 3 percent of it.
What are some of your other interests?
I like to golf, and I enjoy my 9-year-old golden retriever, Sophie. Dogs are great. Recently my wife, Sandy, and I adopted a huge black Labrador retriever and gave him to one of our daughters in Portland. She named him Bear.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
I don’t feel very guilty about it, but I appreciate a high-quality beer like Bud-weiser. Yes, I’d like to plug Anheuser-Busch, which has generously donated millions of dollars to the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. We now look forward to opening the Anheuser-Busch Brewing and Food Science Laboratory at the institute.
Otherwise, I like to go out with Charles Bamforth, the Anheuser-Busch endowed chair of malting and brewing science, and have a beer and some snacks. He’s English, and so will ask the bartender for "a jug and crisps," which I quickly translate to "a pitcher and potato chips" for their consumption – and ours, too.