The University of Michigan on Thursday announced its most ambitious fundraising campaign of $4 billion — the largest effort in the history of public higher education.
The fundraising goal for the Victors for Michigan campaign, the sixth such effort undertaken by U-M, was announced at a news conference in Hill Auditorium. The most recent campaign — The Michigan Difference — ran from 2004-08 and raised $3.2 billion.
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“This campaign is critical to the University of Michigan’s future excellence,” President Mary Sue Coleman said, adding that with dramatic reductions in state funding philanthropy is increasingly important if public higher education is to maintain support for students and compete globally.
“It’s going to keep education affordable because we never want the price of coming to Michigan to keep a qualified student from having this experience,” Coleman said.
Coleman was addressing the No. 1 campaign goal of the Victors for Michigan campaign: student support. The university’s highest priority is to raise $1 billion so every student accepted by the university can afford to attend, so the university can attract students who can compete at the highest levels, and so every student can have an outstanding student experience.
The second priority is to pursue engaged learning, from the classroom out into the world, to provide a global purview and to encourage a creative, entrepreneurial mindset. Such experiences can occur in nearby communities, like Detroit or Flint, and across the globe.
“We are committed to providing students once they get here with the kind of world class education that will let them be 21st century leaders,” said Provost Martha E. Pollack.
The third priority, linked to the U-M’s responsibility as a public university, is to collaborate on bold ideas to address the world’s most challenging problems, such as sustainability, kindergarten-12th grade education and cancer.
Coleman expressed her confidence in the success of the ambitious campaign.
“University of Michigan donors have always understood the importance of private gifts to the success of the university,” she said. “They understand that private support adds the margin of excellence necessary to maintaining our role as one of the top public research universities in the world.”
The university has already received gifts totaling $1.7 billion during a two-year silent phase, before the public launch. Every unit and all three U-M campuses will participate in the campaign fundraising. While record large gifts to the university have generated headlines, Coleman said smaller gifts also are vital to the campaign’s success.
Jerry May, vice president for development, said faculty and staff gifts, which include the recent $1 million gift from Mary Sue and Ken Coleman, are more important than ever.
“We’re really looking to the faculty and staff for great help,” May said.
Board of Regents Chair Andrea Fischer Newman said the regents were committed to maintaining the excellence of the public research university, while also maintaining its affordability.
“We believe that by judiciously controlling our costs and tuition increases, while also committing university funds for financial aid, we can join with donors to make it possible for the best students, from any socio-economic background, to afford to get a Michigan education,” she said.
Fischer Newman said the regents are particularly pleased that U-M students have embraced the culture of philanthropy, becoming donors and fundraisers for the campaign.
“For the first time, there is a student committee as part of the campaign leadership. Students are announcing that they have given and raised more than $1.5 million for the campaign thus far. This is an extraordinary act of philanthropy,” she said.
Stephen M. Ross, U-M’s largest donor, is serving as chair of the campaign.
A celebration to kick off the public phase of the campaign happens Friday, Nov. 8, with a communitywide festival from 5-7:30 p.m. on Ingalls Mall. It is followed by an event in Hill Auditorium at 8 p.m., and an after-party from 9-10 p.m. on Ingalls Mall.
All events are an acknowledgement that it takes an entire community — alumni, faculty and staff, students, fans, friends and grateful patients — to achieve the goal of raising $4 billion.
