Carl Jaedicke '73 served the Texas A&M Foundation for 32 years. He was one of six former students honored by the College of Engineering with its 2018 Outstanding Alumni Award.
The Texas A&M University College of Engineering honored six individuals with its 2018 Outstanding Alumni Award, one of whom served the Texas A&M Foundation for 32 years and is a familiar name within Texas A&M’s fundraising field: Carl Jaedicke ’73. The recipients have all made career lifetime achievements and represent the college with distinction.
A banquet was held April 12 to honor the 2018 recipients: Quentin Baker ’78, Peter C. Forster ’63, Jay Graham ’92, Stephanie G. Hertzog ’96 and Carl F. Jaedicke ’73. Dr. Yassin Hassan and the Department of Nuclear Engineering nominated Jaedicke for the award.
A native Texan, Jaedicke served in several roles with the Foundation, including chief development officer for the College of Engineering, vice president for college programs and vice president for principal gifts. Jaedicke was the first person to hold the position of vice president for principal gifts at the Foundation and was also the first development officer in the College of Engineering. As vice president for principal gifts, his primary role was to help the university’s academic leaders raise support for Texas A&M’s top fundraising priorities.
He graduated from Texas A&M with honors in 1973 with a degree in nuclear engineering and later received his Master of Business Administration from Indiana University in 1979. He is a registered professional engineer and previously worked as an engineer with Stone & Webster Engineering Corp. in Boston and with Consumer Power Co. in Jackson, Michigan.
While in Michigan, he ran across a job advertisement in the August 1985 Texas Aggie that read: Development Officer for Texas A&M Engineering Programs. Minimum requirements B.S. in engineering or related field, preferably from Texas A&M. He first accepted a position of development officer for the College of Engineering at the Foundation in 1986. He served 19 years in this role for four deans and pioneered the college-based fundraising model now used by the Foundation. Jaedicke also assisted in the establishment of the Engineering Advisory Council, which first met in fall 1988 and continues to be a primary source of major gifts for the college.
Carl Jaedicke '73 (front row, second from the left) takes a knee with the 1969-1970 Texas A&M tennis team during his freshman year.
"I’m very grateful that the Foundation took a chance with me not having a fundraising background,” Jaedicke said. “I enjoy working in a team, and this organization is incredibly team-oriented.” When he first started at the Foundation, there were only six development officers; now, more than 70 are dedicated to fundraising for the various colleges and programs of Texas A&M.
As an undergraduate at Texas A&M, Jaedicke gave tours of the original Zachry Engineering Center on the day it was dedicated, March 16, 1972. He was also active with varsity tennis, Phi Eta Sigma and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
"I became enamored with the field of philanthropy and specifically the challenge of matching the goals of the institution with the interests of our alumni,” Jaedicke said. “During my transition to fundraising, I never quit thinking like an engineer—always gathering data, defining the problem and trying to make things better. It’s humbling to receive the College of Engineering’s Outstanding Alumni Award. I know the kind of people who receive this award, so I feel very honored to be among them—especially as someone with an unconventional engineering track.” He is also the recipient of the Distinguished Former Student Award given by the Department of Nuclear Engineering and the Trustees’ Award from the Foundation.
Although he retired from his role at the Foundation in December 2017, Jaedicke works part-time as a philanthropic consultant, providing services to nonprofits, grant makers and individuals. He also serves on the board of the Harry E. Bovay Jr. Foundation and is interested in teaching philanthropy and fundraising in the future.
Learn more about the other 2018 College of Engineering Outstanding Alumni Award recipients.
