Background
Sweeney, Robert Dennis was born on November 23, 1950 in Buffalo.
Sweeney, Robert Dennis was born on November 23, 1950 in Buffalo.
Bachelor of Science, Niagara University, 1972.
Bob Sweeney has spent virtually his entire 43-year career leading colleges and universities in maximizing their fundraising and public outreach. He has represented some of the finest public and private institutions during pivotal periods in their history where they leveraged strong leadership, significant new private resources and a compelling story to gain prominence. Every institution he has served has significantly increased its positioning in the various guides and rankings. These include SUNY Oswego, the University of Richmond, Loyola University of Maryland, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and for the past 25 years, the University of Virginia. Mr. Sweeney has spent over 33 years at the Vice President level or above.
As Senior Vice President for University Advancement, Mr. Sweeney was the architect of two of the largest campaigns in the history of public higher education. In 2000, he led a remarkable team to a $1.43 billion campaign success. At the time, it was the largest amount ever raised by a public university. In 2013, his team completed a $3 billion fundraising effort that placed the University of Virginia within an elite group of institutions having completed campaigns of $3 billion or more, including Columbia, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Michigan, NYU, Penn, Stanford, UCLA, and Yale. During his tenure at UVA, Mr. Sweeney orchestrated funding that exceeds $5 billion. On June 30, 2016, Mr. Sweeney retired as Senior Vice President of the University. He now serves as the Senior Philanthropic Advisor to Virginia President Theresa Sullivan.
Married Elizabeth Anne Powell, July 19,2014. Children: Matthew B., Meghan E., Paul T.