UConn Announces $600M Capital Campaign

STORRS — The University of Connecticut has announced the public launch of a new capital campaign to raise $600 million and increase the resources available for students and faculty. The effort, called “Our University. Our Moment. The Campaign for UConn,” is the largest campaign in the university’s history.

The campaign, under the auspices of the UConn Foundation, will raise funds for financial aid, faculty support, and programs across all of UConn’s campuses, including the UConn Health Center.

A campaign kickoff was held at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on Saturday, September 26, prior to the UConn vs University of Rhode Island football game.

Despite the difficult economy, university officials believe strongly that now is the time to rally alumni and others to support the state’s flagship institution of higher learning. In addition, Connecticut is mirroring a national trend that has seen state support as a percentage of operating income for public higher education steadily decrease during the past decade.

“UConn is on the cusp of becoming a premier national research university. We are involved in groundbreaking studies in stem cells, fuel cells, sustainability, and much more. As state support is projected to continue declining, private giving is more critical than ever. Right now our endowment is significantly below our peer institutions. In order to continue UConn’s upward trajectory, we must dramatically grow our foundation of support to be competitive with peer public universities,” said UConn President Michael J. Hogan.

UConn is now gaining national and international prominence for excellence in education, research, and outreach. In addition, Mr Hogan has set a goal to become one of the top 20 public research universities in the country. To achieve this, UConn’s new academic plan calls for investing in areas of strength that are critical to the future, including the environment, health and human behavior, and society, culture, and the arts.

“We have set forth an academic plan to invest in core areas of excellence and realize our potential as a leading national university. Our University. Our Moment. is an ambitious campaign that will help us achieve the goals we have established,” said Hogan. “The UConn 2000 and 21st Century UConn building programs funded tremendous revitalization and growth on our campuses. We have the momentum now to achieve our greatest aspirations for UConn as a national and international leader in higher education.”

In addition to growing the university’s endowment to a target of $500 million, other campaign priorities include increasing the number of student scholarship and fellowship funds from 750 to 1,200, establishing 50 new endowed faculty positions, and enhancing academic, research, outreach, and diversity programs. The objectives are: undergraduate education at $200 million, UConn Health Center at $155 million, graduate and professional education at $135 million, athletics at $110 million, for a total of $600 million.

To date, $190 million has been raised in endowed and nonendowed gifts during the campaign’s silent phase.

“We’re pleased with the early response by UConn’s alumni and friends. In light of the current recession, we’ve been especially impressed by their level of commitment. They are stepping up because they’re passionate about UConn and they believe in our vision for the future,” said UConn Foundation President John K. Martin.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for Connecticut and the UConn community. As an alumnus, I’m thrilled that we’re kicking off the biggest campaign in UConn’s history. UConn has grown from a small institution to one of the best public universities in the nation, and now is gaining an international reputation for cutting-edge research and development. Our University. Our Moment. is about taking the next step,” said Denis McCarthy ’64 ’65, chairman of the campaign.

More information on the campaign can be found at www.ourmoment.uconn.edu.