LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Mary Hirsch of Plainsboro, NJ, has recently been named Director of Planned Giving at Rider University. The appointment was effective August 1, 1997.

In her new capacity, Hirsch will represent the University to its constituencies, primarily Rider alumni, and assist with donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities. She will meet individually and in small groups with Rider alumni and friends with significant interest in the institution.

Hirsch is quite familiar with the Rider community. She earned a B.A. in liberal studies in 1994 from the University, and served as Director of Institutional Giving at Rider since 1996. In this capacity, she identified potential corporate and foundation donors, conducted cultivation and stewardship activities, and worked closely with college deans, faculty, and administrators to identify needs and develop proposals.

In the six years preceding her employment at Rider, Hirsch served as Director of Community and Development for the Delaware-Raritan Girl Scout Council, headquartered in East Brunswick, NJ.

Rider University is an independent, coeducational, nonsectarian institution with a 353-acre campus in Lawrenceville, NJ, and a 23-acre campus in Princeton, NJ. The University offers 57 undergraduate programs and 15 graduate programs in business, liberal arts, science, education, and music. Ninety-five percent of Rider's faculty members hold doctorate or other appropriate advanced degrees. U.S. News and World Report has again ranked Rider in the top tier of northern universities based on the quality of its programs.