Michael L. House has been named associate vice chancellor for university advancement at UC Irvine, effective Oct. 21. He currently is assistant vice president of the University of Florida Foundation in Gainesville, Florida.

"Michael is a national leader in development and highly regarded in the field of advancement. He is passionate about the profession," said Thomas Mitchell, vice chancellor for university advancement. "His broad knowledge base, his success in leading a number of major capital initiatives and his ability to rally a team to meet -- and exceed -- goals will make him an invaluable asset to UCI's advancement program."

At UCI, House will lead the campus' development program -- which incorporates major gifts, gift planning and corporate and foundation relations efforts -- and work with UCI's administrative, academic and senior volunteer leadership to set annual and long-range fund-raising goals to meet the campus' and academic units' vision and priorities.

"The prominence of UCI, the opportunity to join University Advancement at this particular time, and the stature of Chancellor Ralph Cicerone and Vice Chancellor Tom Mitchell, combined to create a situation I couldn't resist," House said. "Without exception, the faculty, staff, alumni and friends of UCI are extraordinarily professional, dedicated, enthusiastic and warm. I'm looking forward to joining the UCI team."

At the University of Florida, where he has served since 1984, House directs all aspects of the UF Foundation board, including managing much of the foundation's professional, technical and support staff; overseeing efforts to technologically enhance the university's development program; and ensuring compliance with foundation policies and procedures. He participated in a successful campaign that exceeded its goal of $750 million.

"Michael is a seasoned, highly experienced development professional who brings a wealth of expertise to UCI's advancement program," said Debra Richardson, chair of Information and Computer Science and the AVC search committee. "The search committee was impressed with his diverse experience and also his engaging and enthusiastic style. Michael is first-class in all respects, and we look forward to him bringing the skills he gained at UF to bear on UCI's ambitious fund-raising efforts."

Prior to UF, House was responsible for corporate fund raising for the American Pharmaceutical Foundation in Washington D.C., and a faculty member and administrator at UF's College of Pharmacy.

House is the author of several publications on board development and donor stewardship and a member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. He has received numerous merit and excellence awards from both UF and CASE.

UCI is a top-ranked public university dedicated to the principles of research, scholarship and community. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with approximately 22,000 undergraduate and graduate students and nearly 1,150 faculty members and clinicians. The third largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact that exceeds $2.65 billion.