Princeton, NJ Weather
Cloudy, 65ºF |
|
 |
Beyond the Gate
Royce Flippin '56
Evelyn Rusli
Princetonian Staff Writer
Royce Flippin Jr. '56 has molded his life
around the basic principle of helping meet the needs of others. From
leading a consulting firm, working with the University and even as
warden for his local church, this idea is reflected in every path
Flippin has pursued. "The most rewarding thing in life is being in a
position to be able to meet needs," Flippin explained.
His interest in consultation and the financial
sector stems from his experience at Princeton where he majored in
Economics and Sociology. Beyond the classroom, Flippin spent four years
on both the baseball and football team. As captain in his senior year,
he led the team to Princeton's last Ivy championship win before the
league was officially formed. After Princeton, Flippin went into the
nation's service, joining the Marine Corps.
From there Flippin worked at Exxon for four
years and was in charge of running an area of service stations. Exxon
awarded him with a scholarship for Harvard Business School where he
graduated with an MBA in 1964.
Leading the teams
After his formal education, Flippin went on to
serve as director of athletics at Princeton. His work here occurred at
a pivotal point of the University's History. "I worked at the
University during the 1970s when Princeton had just began to accept
women students," Flippin said. "I was involved with developing women
athletics at Princeton and we actually dominated the Ivy League during
those initial years."
Eventually he left Princeton for a post at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he was director of both
athletics and program advancement. Flippin's experience at MIT
eventually led him to become president of the Eastern College Athletic
Conference and he also served on the National Collegiate Athletics
Association.
On to finance
While at MIT, Flippin became involved in
financial consulting and worked with companies as well as individuals.
"I formed Flippin Associates just to formalize that outreach," Flippin
said. The broad-based consulting firm covers both the public and
private sector and has since been relocated to New Jersey, after
Flippin left MIT to be closer to family.
The idea of meeting others' needs is central in
this line of work, Flippin explained. "The principle goal of
consultants is to really meet the needs of their client," Flippin said.
"You have to get a sense of what's needed through individual
counseling, consoling and group experience."
Today, Flippin serves on four different
corporate boards, providing valuable advice for business operations.
For 17 years he has been involved with Arial Mutual Funds, now ranked
as one of the most remarkable mutual funds in the nation and has over
$10 billion in assets. He is also on the boards of the Princeton Club,
the Education and Video Conferencing Inc. and Thorium Power.
His involvement with Thorium Power came after a
meeting with a fellow alumni in the early 1990s. "I asked him what else
he was working on and he mentioned a start up company that had patents
on a type of nuclear fuel that could only be used for non-proliferated
purposes," Flippin said.
His interest in the corporation led to a
meeting with the founder and eventually an invitation to become a board
member. From 1995 to 1997, he was chairman of Thorium Power which is
now up for consideration by the national government for federal funding.
'Serendipity'
While his intellect and drive helped him seize
these opportunities, Flippin realizes how fortunate he was to have
these door open up for him. "It was through serendipity that I was able
to have a lot of these opportunities," Flippin said.
Besides his role in the financial sector,
Flippin has also stayed involved in the field of education. He is
currently board member of the Lakewood Preparatory School in Hopewell,
N.J., where his grandson attends.
In addition, he stays strongly connected with
his alma mater. "After going to Princeton in the 50s, working there in
the 70s, seeing my sons go there in the 80s, I have a real sense for
Princeton," Flippin said.
Flippin's appreciation and commitment to the
University is reflected in his numerous positions on Alumni committees.
Flippin is on the Board of Governors of the Princeton Club, vice
president of University Relations and Alumni Association around the
greater New York area, Executive Committee of the Class 1956 and the
'56 Reach Out Committee.
His interest in providing assistance to others
is further evident in his work as warden for his Episcopal Church, St.
George's in Halmetta, New Jersey. Flippin is also active in the
interfaith network, Care, an association of 12 churches that work
together to transport people to medical appointments that they would
otherwise have been unable to go.
Transitioning between the various fields is not
difficult for Flippin because the skills needed for each share a
fundamental similarity. "Whether its athletics at Princeton or my work
for Flippin Associates or Thorium Power, the principles of meeting
needs don't really vary much."
|
|
 |
|
| Paid Advertisements |
|
Slipcovers |
Discount Motorcycle Parts |
Cheap Printer Cartridges |
Window Treatments |
Digital Cameras |
Satellite TV |
Discount Inkjet Cartridges |
Cheap Ink |
Guitars |
Discount Golf Clubs
|
Online Business Degree | Long Beach BMW | Home loans | Professional SEO
Promotional Products
|
Buy and Sell timeshare - Full service timeshare resales agency. Call 1-888-7MY-TIME for details.
Timeshare Rentals,
Timeshare Resales,
Sell Timeshare,
Rent Timeshare,
Timeshare For Sale,
Timeshare
Upholstery Fabric | Fabric Online | Upholstery Fabrics | Shabby Chic | Fabric
Designer fabrics | Curtain fabric | Drapery fabric | Discount fabric | Discount fabrics | Silk fabric
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright
2003 Daily Princetonian Publishing Company, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed in any manner.
Please use our Web-based Feedback Form for comments, questions and inquiries. |
| |
|
|
| Summer Journalism Program |
|
Last August, The Daily Princetonian Class of 2001 Summer Journalism Program entered its third summer.
Read more about it here. |
|
