Correction Appended
The AnewAU fundraising campaign brought in $214,113,000 over seven years, beating its $200 million goal in March 2010.
The campaign officially closed Dec. 31, 2010, after raising money since Oct. 16, 2003. It helped fund the Katzen Arts Center, the new School of International Service Building and renovations to the Kogod School of Business building.
Funds raised help keep tuition costs steady, according to Tom Minar, the vice president of Development and Alumni Relations.
“Money we raise has a general impact on the institution’s budget,” Minar said. “Whether or not that trickles into tuition is a different question. Every dollar that’s given to the University helps keep tuition down. The money we raise helps keep the tuition down tomorrow. It’s hard to draw what the line of impact is.”
AU prioritizes fundraising for scholarships, Minar said.
Under the AnewAU campaign, 84 new scholarships were created that did not previously exist.
“We also think that [scholarships are] essential to the diversity of the student body and the very shape of the student body,” Minar said.
Nearly 400 undergraduate and graduate students at AU currently receive financial assistance from scholarships, fellowships and awards established by donors during the 2010-2011 academic year, according to Sarah Petrie, director of Stewardship and Donor Relations. This does not include general University need-based aid and merit scholarships, fellowships and awards.
AnewAU raised funds through calling current students and families, and also tapped alumni and philanthropists for donations.
“We spend a lot of time meeting face to face with alumni, parents and friends ... helping them meet their philanthropic objectives by giving to AU,” he said.
No particular class at AU donated the most money. Alumni donors came from a broad range of classes, Minar said.
"During the course of the campaign, 41 trustees, including all elected trustees currently serving, have supported the AnewAU campaign," Minar said.
Despite the recent recession, donations also did not lag. Minar said that since his arrival in 2008, he saw growth in the 2009 and 2010 fiscal numbers.
“You don’t lower goals, ever. You lengthen campaigns,” he said. “Because campaigns are rarely set, at least in higher education, with a hard end date, they’re set with a date of ‘we’d like to do this in x length of time.’”
AU’s last fundraising campaign, the 1993 Centennial Campaign, netted about $100 million.
lgiangreco@theeagleonline.com
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that three members of the Board of Trustees donated to the AnewAU campaign. A total of 41 trustees donated to the campaign.
