Last modified: Tuesday, September 27, 2011
IUPUI fundraising campaign passes $1 billion mark
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 27, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind -- IUPUI's IMPACT campaign has made "exceptional progress" toward reaching the highest fundraising goal in Indiana University history. President Michael A. McRobbie announced in his State of the University address on Tuesday (Sept. 27) that the campaign had pushed through the $1 billion mark on the way to its $1.25 billion goal.
"Surpassing this threshold shows the tremendous regard in which IUPUI is held by its alumni, friends and donors," said McRobbie. "Their support is indicative of the value they place on higher education and the role it plays in transforming the lives of individuals and the world we live in."
The $1.25 billion campaign was publicly announced in October 2010. To date, the campaign has raised $1.047 billion from more than 86,000 donors.
"In light of the economic downturn of the past few years, the likes of which have not been seen in most of our lifetimes, this level of commitment is remarkable," said McRobbie. "These gifts enable IUPUI to better serve its students, to meet the vital needs of the community and region, and to serve the state, nation and world. Gifts enrich the educational experience of our students, enable breakthrough discoveries in the prevention and treatment of disease, bind our campus to the community and make the dream of higher education a reality for so many who thought they might not ever have that chance."
"This success is inspiring," said McRobbie, "but the campaign is far from over and our work is not yet done. Every gift adds to the value that IUPUI creates for its students, the city of Indianapolis, the state and beyond. We are honored by the outpouring of support we have received, and we will press on until we reach the bold and ambitious goal we have set for ourselves -- making IUPUI and its contributions to the community and the state the best they can be. "
"We are tremendously grateful for all the contributions that have brought us to this significant milestone in the IUPUI IMPACT campaign," said Charles Bantz, chancellor of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. "We have much work to do yet, and we are encouraged by the donor interest in gifts that will enhance IUPUI's impact by supporting endowed chairs, scholarships, research centers and facilities."
"The IMPACT campaign is strengthening the campus's deep and longstanding involvement in the community and bringing more intellectual capital and research dollars to our state, contributing to Indiana's economy," said Bantz. "We are developing academic programs and research that address the educational and economic development needs of our partners -- Indianapolis and Indiana."
Student enrollment in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs at IUPUI passed the 30,000 mark for the first time in 2008 and now stands at more than 30,500.
"Student success is an important part of the campaign," said Bantz. The campus is matching the income generated by endowment gifts for the newly created RISE scholarships (Research, International, Service learning and Experiential learning) and for faculty chairs, Bantz said.
IUPUI was just ranked third among national universities in the "Up-and-Comers" category in U.S. News & World Report's 2012 edition of Best Colleges, ones that have made "promising and innovative changes" to their educational programs and services. IUPUI has moved up in the rankings every year since the report was first published four years ago.
In 2010, IUPUI received both the Outreach Scholarship W. K. Kellogg Foundation Engagement Award from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars Higher Education Civic Engagement Award. In 2009, FORBES and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity ranked IUPUI as the eighth best public college in the Midwest.
McRobbie has charged the IU Foundation and campus leaders with accomplishing the campaign's goals.
"We are energized by the momentum this campaign has achieved," said Gene Tempel, president of the Indiana University Foundation, "and we are confident that we are firmly on track to reach the goal by the campaign's end in June 2013."
