KINGSVILLE (Dec. 18, 2024) — Texas A&┐█┐█┤ź├Ż (TAMUK) welcomed Jason Geiken last week as he began his new position as Vice President of University Advancement and Chief Foundation Officer.
Geiken will be the Chief Advancement Officer, serve on the President’s Executive Cabinet and serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the TAMUK Foundation.
“I’m thrilled to be here and excited to get started,” Geiken said. “It’s a wonderful community of people and there’s been an overwhelming sense that this is the right place to be — it’s just a really good fit.”
Geiken brings more than 10 years of experience in similar roles with stops at Iowa State, Hannibal-LaGrange University, California State University and, most recently, Arkansas Tech University (ATU), where he served as Vice President For Advancement & Chief Executive of the ATU Foundation.
“I feel like in higher education and fundraising, I really found my calling and what I want to do,” he said. “I really believe in the transformative power of education. When you work at universities that have such a high percentage of first-generation students, you’re also transforming the generations that come after. It’s exciting to be a part of.”
In addition to his passion for philanthropy, Geiken also expressed excitement at working with TAMUK alumni and plans to have the university’s unique heritage strongly influence its future.
“One of the keys about philanthropy is that we don’t want to just run around telling people what the university needs,” he said. “The university has lots of aspirations, but what is exciting is that we have very philanthropic alumni who also want to be a part of the life and work of the university.
“I’m really excited about learning about the history of this institution as well as the legacy and heritage of the alumni that have come before,” Geiken added. “I want that to be the inspiration for the future of how we support students through philanthropy.”
A native of West Des Moines, Iowa, Geiken graduated Cum Laude from Baptist University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts while majoring in Music in 2004, then went on to complete his MBA at Iowa State University in 2011, where he specialized in Marketing and focused his research in Entrepreneurship. He also finished his coursework this fall toward an Ed.D. in Rural and Diverse Educational Leadership at Southern Arkansas University and is about to begin writing a dissertation in order to complete his doctoral degree.