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News Release

Last modified: Sunday, October 10, 2010

IUPUI announces most ambitious campaign goal in university history

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 10, 2010

Editor's Note: A downloadable logo for the IMPACT campaign can be found at the following location: https://marketing.iuf.indiana.edu/media_downloads.shtml

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie announced on Saturday (Oct. 9) the public launch of the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the university's history. The IUPUI IMPACT campaign for the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus has established a record goal of $1.25 billion.

"This is a bold and ambitious goal for a bold and ambitious campus," said McRobbie.

The campus was the first in the university's history to surpass the $1 billion mark in fundraising. Its Campaign for IUPUI concluded in 2004 after raising a record $1.039 billion.

"Just last night," said McRobbie, "Indiana University Bloomington celebrated the conclusion of its Matching the Promise campaign, which raised an astounding $1.144 billion, a new campaign record and the second time that our university has celebrated such an achievement. And now we embark on our third. To our knowledge, only one other university in this country -- Stanford -- has undertaken three campaigns of this magnitude."

"Further," said McRobbie, "we believe it is unprecedented for a university to announce the conclusion of a major fundraising campaign on one day, and publicly announce a new and major fundraising campaign the next day. We know that IUPUI and its many, many donors and friends are up to the challenge. The $1.25 billion goal for the IUPUI campaign sets a new and higher standard for our great university."

IUPUI Chancellor Charles Bantz believes that "IUPUI's commitment to the city of Indianapolis and to Indiana cannot be overstated. Nor can the importance of philanthropy to its future. We have had such generous support for the campaign that we have raised $860 million to date from a multitude of donors who understand the importance of this campus to the city, the state, the nation and the world."

Forbes.com named IUPUI to its first annual list of "America's Best Colleges." U.S. News & World Report has named IUPUI a "School to Watch" based on its "promising and innovative changes" in academics and other areas. The Washington Center recently honored the campus with its Higher Education Civic Engagement Award. Enrollment has climbed steadily beyond 30,000 students in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. Students now come from 50 states and 130 countries around the world.

McRobbie has charged the IU Foundation with leading and coordinating the campaign.

"Our work," said foundation president Gene Tempel, "is to provide the overarching leadership and support for the deans and development officers as they move toward the accomplishment of this challenging goal. We are proud to be their partners in this endeavor, and I am confident that the campaign will be a success."

The campaign has four goals, said Bantz: supporting extraordinary student success, excelling as a center for the health and life sciences, championing civic engagement, and thriving as an urban research campus.

"An important part of student success," said Bantz, "is financial support, and scholarships and fellowships are an important component of this campaign." Gifts to the campus have established 169 scholarships and fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students since the campaign began.

Bantz said that the newly announced RISE scholarships will support students participating in research, international service, service learning or experiential learning opportunities. The campus is committed to matching 50 percent of the income from each RISE endowed scholarship fund to provide funding for learning opportunities for students.

The inaugural RISE scholarship was established by IUPUI Executive Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Faculties Uday Sukhatme in memory of his mother.

The campus also will match gifts that establish endowed faculty chairs, said Bantz.

"These two matching programs support the campaign's priorities," said Tempel, "and will energize the campus and the donors throughout the public phase of this campaign."

Among other notable gifts to date:

• The campus received $60 million from the Lilly Endowment for the School of Medicine's Indiana Physician Scientist Initiative which promotes the development of important scientific discoveries in the laboratory and translates them into new products and treatments, benefiting patients and producing new businesses.
• A $30 million gift from Eugene and Marilyn Glick will establish the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Of this, $20 million is earmarked for construction of a new patient care and research building; the remaining $10 million has established an endowment to further eye research.
• $50 million from Bren Simon and her late husband, Melvin, will establish the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center. Half of the funding established the Joshua Max Simon Research Endowment and the remaining $25 million was dedicated to construction of the new hospital and patient care facility.
• The Lilly Endowment supported the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy with a $40 million gift to enhance the understanding and practice of philanthropy, which binds our communities, improves quality of life, and enables individuals and organizations to realize their potential.

"These are only a few of the fundamental and vitally important changes to our lives that already have been realized because of giving to the IUPUI IMPACT campaign," said Bantz.

"Going forward," said Bantz, "the campaign will enable IUPUI, with its deep and longstanding involvement with the community, to bring more intellectual capital and research dollars to our state, accelerating the economic engine. Through financial support and internships for our students, and professional partnerships between the institution and business, government and nonprofit entities, we will create 'brain gain' as students and others choose to stay in our state. We will intentionally develop academic programs and research portfolios that address the educational and economic development needs of the city and state of which we are a part."

The campaign will conclude in June 2013.

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