Campaign exceeds $200 million goal

University of Richmond officials announced in January that the Transforming Bright Minds campaign had exceeded its goal of raising $200 million a year and a half ahead of schedule.

In keeping with the University’s strategic direction, fundraising for key initiatives will continue. Those initiatives include expansions of the business school, law school, library and the Westhampton Center, as well as construction of a new on-campus stadium. The University also will continue to raise funds for additional student scholarships and endowed professorships.

As of Dec. 31, the campaign had raised a total of $202,200,941 from more than 27,000 alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, foundations, corporations and friends. To date, 53 donors each have given $1 million or more—three times the number of such donors in the University’s previous campaign.

The gift that put the campaign over its goal came from Susan Darling, W’82, of Mechanicsville, Va., who made her annual fund donation in late December. Darling has made annual contributions to the University for 23 of the past 24 years.

“This is my 25th reunion year graduating from the University of Richmond,” said Darling. “I still have so many wonderful memories of my time there. I always enjoy hearing about all of the great things happening at the University and about the student groups doing outreach projects in the Richmond area. I’m proud to be an alumna and to know that every gift counts and helps strengthen the University.”

“Thousands of alumni and friends such as Susan Darling have helped make this campaign so successful,” said President Bill Cooper. “Thanks to their generosity, the University is well positioned for even greater advances in coming years.”

The campaign is succeeding at every level, and the Board of Trustees is particularly “encouraged by the number of alumni and friends who have stepped forward,” said University Rector George Wellde Jr., R’74. “The generous support of so many alumni, parents and friends is a source of great pride and encouragement that should never be taken for granted. We simply cannot say thank you enough.”

Marcus Weinstein, R’49, whose family’s contributions to the campaign funded a variety of key University needs, remarked, “It gives my family and me great satisfaction to play a role in shaping Richmond’s bright future.”

More than half of the campaign’s gifts have come from alumni and friends in the greater Richmond region. In addition, 63 percent of the Class of 2006 made gifts to the University before they graduated last May.

“Over 27,000 individual donors have supported this campaign, and every gift, regardless of size, counts toward its success,” said Robert S. Ukrop, R’69, who serves as one of the campaign’s leaders. “I especially applaud the many alumni in the greater Richmond area and the recent graduating class. Both groups have set a remarkable standard for support.”

The campaign’s goal was to raise $200 million by June 30, 2008—the largest fundraising effort in Richmond’s 176-year history. Funds have been directed to new student scholarships, new endowed professorships and several new building projects.

Major campus projects made possible as a result of the campaign include Weinstein Hall, which houses the social sciences programs; Gottwald Center for the Sciences; University Forum, the new campus plaza; Wilton Way, a new brick pathway physically connecting the arts, sciences, spiritual life and student life sections of campus; Heilman Center, which underwent an extensive renovation and expansion of its dining facility; and the Weinstein Center for Recreation and Wellness, which will be dedicated in March. In addition, the campaign helped raise more than $15 million of the more than $20 million committed for the planned construction of an on-campus stadium.

As a result of the campaign’s success in reaching its fundraising goal early, the Board of Trustees voted at its January meeting to conclude the campaign on June 30, 2007—one year ahead of schedule.

For more information about the Transforming Bright Minds campaign or to make an online gift, visit brightminds.richmond.edu.