By Steve Gilliam , University Relations
Coming off a record fundraising year, trustees and campaign leaders at UNCG have voted to increase the Students First Campaign goal to $100 million. Scheduled to run through 2009, the campaign had received more than $59 million through Aug. 31.
“Increasing our goal to $100 million is significant for many reasons,” said Chancellor Patricia A. Sullivan. “It shows that we are experiencing incredible momentum with the Students First Campaign. Friends and alumni have demonstrated their overwhelming support for the imperatives we have set forth, contributing nearly $60 million to date.”
The move to a nine-figure goal is a first for UNCG. Its two previous campaigns, Prospectus III (1984) and Second Century (1998), came in at $13.5 million and $55.4 million. The Students First Campaign launched its advance gifts phase, sometimes referred to as the “quiet phase,” in the summer of 2004 with a $78.2 million goal.
Sullivan said there are urgent reasons for increasing the goal now. This year’s headcount enrollment is 15,824, and with distance learners, the total is 16,632. With those numbers, UNCG has exceeded its enrollment projection of 15,000 on campus by 2008. Thirty percent of this year’s freshman class are minority students and more than 60 percent of the student body receive some form of student aid.
“Because we have already reached our projected enrollment well ahead of schedule, additional means are required to adequately support our larger student body,” Sullivan said. “In fact, while we have been very successful with the campaign so far, we are still facing a shortfall of $20 million for undergraduate and graduate scholarships, and those are essential to our becoming a university of first choice among talented and deserving students.”
The Students First Campaign is scheduled to run through 2009. Campaign co-chairs Linda A. Carlisle and Norman and Sylvia Samet believe that the fundraising goals are attainable.
“UNCG is really on the move and the greater community and our alumni see all that is happening and have been very excited and supportive,” said Carlisle. “This increased goal is reflective of this wonderful support and acknowledges the needs that grow as the university grows.”
Timing is important. The campaign’s public phase gets under way in October, and friends and supporters from the Triad region and the state will be asked to join the excitement in the coming months.
Samet noted that the fundraising is proceeding very well and on track to reach and possibly exceed $100 million. Campaign leaders have adopted an unofficial benchmark slogan of “66 in ’06,” and expect the effort to raise $66 million by year-end.
“We think it is a natural to increase the campaign to cover the shortage in the scholarship portion,” Samet said. “The staff and volunteers want to raise the goal. They are committed, dedicated and enthusiastic about this campaign and feel they can do it. They don’t want to stop short of total success, doing all they can for UNCG. I’ll use the analogy of an athletic team that excels in regular season and then doesn’t get a chance to go for the gold. They want to do it, and we felt they should be allowed to go for it.”
Dr. Patricia W. Stewart, vice chancellor for university advancement, said the campaign’s new goal of $100 million is balanced against $140 million of identified needs on the campus. More information is available at the campaign website, donate.uncg.edu. Totals through August 31 for the major imperatives were:
• Student support, $31.7 million raised, needs totaling $59.3 million, with $30.6 million for undergraduate scholarships and $19 million for graduate scholarships.
• Attracting and retaining excellent faculty, $6.5 million raised, $12.2 million in needs, including $4.2 million for Excellence Professorships, $3.7 million for guest artists and lecturers, $2.55 million for faculty development and $1.7 million for Jackson Library.
• Building exceptional learning environments, $17.5 million raised, $63.55 million in needs, including $10.5 million for academic program support, $4.7 million for the Aycock Auditorium renovation, $5 million for the Science Building equipment fund, and $2 million each for the Chancellor’s New Venture Fund and the Weatherspoon Art Museum, and $1 million for the Alumni House renovation.
• Research and service support, $718,966 raised, $6.75 million in needs, including $2 million each for the Center for Youth, Family and Community Partnerships and the Institute for Biotechnology, Genomics and Health Research, $1 million each for the Center for Women’s Health and Wellness, and Service Learning community internships.
• Other restricted gifts, $3.1 million.
