As Carleton’s new vice president for development and alumni relations, Daren Batke leads a team of 58 to carry out all components of development and alumni relations, including capital giving, major and planned gifts, annual giving, alumni relations, parent and family programs, stewardship, and grants. A graduate of Ohio’s College of Wooster, Batke brings a wealth of experience in higher education to Carleton, with 20 years working at institutions including the University of Michigan, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern.
To introduce Batke to the Carleton community, we caught up via Zoom to ask him a series of New Student Week–style icebreaker questions.
What’s your least favorite thing about your favorite thing?
One of my favorite things is the sitcom The Golden Girls. I’ve watched every episode at least a dozen times, but my least favorite thing about it is that I can literally never choose an episode to watch. I just have to turn on the TV and watch whichever episode is rerunning, because the choice is too paralyzing. At least the element of surprise is fun!
What is your favorite academic discipline?
I majored in political science, but I’ve always found psychology, especially social psychology, fascinating. In fact, I incorporated a great deal of social psychology into my independent study project as an undergraduate, which is a signature program at the College of Wooster. I studied the personality characteristics of U.S. presidents in relationship to their behavior during times of crisis. I’d have a field day with that if I was a student today!
What do you wish to have done with your mortal remains?
I was talking to a friend the other day who told me that once you’re cremated, you can have your ashes minted into a diamond. Nobody would want it, but that could be interesting!
What’s your most prized possession, and why do you cherish it so?
A bottle of wine my great-grandfather made himself in the early 1900s. It’s always been a part of my life, and he wrote an entire story about the making of the wine that accompanies the bottle. That’s really special to me.
Why do you do what you do?
My college experience was entirely transformational, so I do what I do because I want to nurture higher education in the way that it nurtured me. I truly believe that higher education is among the noblest institutions in society.
What is your strangest work experience?
Growing up, I had two summer jobs every year: one at an ice cream shop and the other as an umpire for local baseball games. We had a tradition where the winning team would go to the ice cream shop after games to celebrate. When I was behind the plate or on the bases, players would ask, “Hey, aren’t you the guy that works at the ice cream shop?” Then the next night when I was serving the same people their ice cream, they would ask, “Hey, aren’t you the umpire?” I was the most well-known person in my hometown those summers! I should’ve stayed and become mayor one day.
What do you want Carls to know about you?
That I understand how profoundly special places like Carleton are, given my own experience at the College of Wooster. I’m genuinely enthusiastic about being here and advocating on its behalf. I’m also really excited to learn more about Carleton and all its traditions! I’ve heard of Schiller and traying and a few others, but I’m sure there’s plenty I have no idea about yet, and I want to learn everything.
What are you most looking forward to experiencing at Carleton?
The cookies at Dacie Moses! I have a sneaking suspicion I will be spending a lot of time there.
—Erica Helgerud ’20