UD says the fundraising dollars will go toward scholarships, hands-on learning and ensuring academic excellence. The project also aims to increase volunteer hours for the university.
“This comprehensive campaign will enable us to enhance how we do our number one job, which is to attract, educate and graduate students who will go out and make a difference in the world,” said university President Eric F. Spina.
It’s not uncommon for universities to set high-dollar goals for fundraising drives. Last year, Miami University launched a fundraising campaign aiming for $1 billion to support “emerging and high-demand areas of study.” Old Dominion in Virginia and Marian University in Indianapolis announced $500 million goals last October.
UD officials say the money they raise will go to three specific places:
- Scholarships: Creating robust programs to assure access to great students who will benefit from the Catholic, Marianist education and in the process make UD the best version of itself.
- Academic excellence: Recruit, retain and invest in great faculty and staff mentors, and innovative programs and research that enrich the student experience.
- Experiential learning: Expand hands-on learning opportunities for all students on campus, in the community and around the world. The university cited opportunities like internships, semesters abroad, student teaching, and research. UD has a Student Experiential Learning Fund for students with demonstrated financial need to partake in those experiences if they can’t afford to do it themselves.
Credit: Knack Video + Photo
Credit: Knack Video + Photo
Chris Morrison, UD’s vice president of advancement, said the last time the university had a big fundraising effort like this was in the early 1990s ending in 2002. That fundraising effort produced $158 million.
Morrison said most universities don’t go 20 years without a fundraising effort like this.
“Why now? It’s really quite overdue,” Morrison said. “And now, the timing is right for us.”
Most universities also go through a “quiet phase” of fundraising at the start of a campaign, which Morrison said has been taking place for almost seven years. The entire fundraising effort is expected to go until 2025.
University of Dayton officials said they hope to increase their number of volunteer leaders — people performing service for UD —to 2,800. UD held a Day of Service on Wednesday to encourage UD’s community to volunteer.
In addition, UD hopes to have 19,250 Flyers join the Front Porch Society. Membership in the Front Porch Society is for those who have made a gift, of any amount, to UD for the last three consecutive fiscal years.
“We are grateful for our generous alumni and friends who have given during the initial stages of this campaign,” Morrison said. “Now we’re looking to our Flyer family to continue to be consistent annual donors and engaged volunteers who can help us cross the finish line.”
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