The University of Arkansas at Little Rock announced today that one of its most prolific fundraising and university relations leaders will retire in 2016.

Bob Denman, vice chancellor for advancement, who joined UALR in 2001 after a successful broadcast television management career, plans to step down in March.

“I have been blessed during my time at UALR with a wonderful staff, dedicated volunteers, and generous donors,” Denman said. “As we approach our next major fundraising initiative, the time is right for a new leader to come in and own the effort start to finish.”

Denman, the current president of the Rotary Club of Little Rock, was the architect of UALR’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign, raising a record $103.4 million. He also helped manage the largest gifts in the institution’s history, including a $22.4 million donation from Jack Stephens that led to construction of the Jack Stephens Center, and a recent $20.3 million gift from the Windgate Charitable Foundation that will be used to build a new center for art and design on campus.

In the 2014-15 fiscal year, Denman led a team that raised a record $32.4 million in donations for the university.

During his time as a university leader, Denman, a 1974 UALR graduate, was president of the university Alumni Association and chairman of the Foundation Fund Board. He was a 1993 winner of the UALR Alumni Association President’s Award, an annual honor that recognizes a graduate who pairs career success with dedication to the university.

“It’s like he signed on as a freshman at UALR, and the rest is history,” UALR Chancellor Dr. Joel E. Anderson said. “Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Bob Denman is the supreme example of a UALR student who just kept on staying involved and giving back to his alma mater.”

Denman also received the Crystal Apple Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), in addition to earning “stellar speaker” status at 10 CASE national conferences.

Last year he served as the UALR interim director of athletics — one of many roles he filled with the university through the years.

“As he retires, I know everyone who is a part of UALR joins me in saying a very big thank you to him,” Anderson said. “We will miss him greatly, and he has our very best wishes.”