The contributions include endowed scholarships to enable students to attend class; software to help students gain industry-standard knowledge; and financial support for cutting-edge degree programs.
Donors to “A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia’s University” are making a positive impact – contributing $605 million through Dec. 31.
The WVU Foundation says that over the past three months, alumni and friends of the University gave $36 million, from $569 million on Sept. 30 to $605 million on Dec 31. With three years remaining in the campaign, 81 percent of the $750 million campaign goal has been achieved.
“We are extremely pleased with the response we’ve had from University supporters,” said Wayne King, WVU Foundation president and CEO. “People are excited about all the positive news coming out of the University and this has translated to success in fundraising. Private support is really helping to make a difference.”
“A State of Minds” is the largest private fundraising campaign in WVU’s history, and runs through December 2015. The $750 million goal is three times larger than the previous “Building Greatness” campaign from 1998-2003.
WVU President Jim Clements, in describing the generosity of donors to the State of Minds campaign, said, “Private giving opens the doors of opportunity to thousands of undergraduate and graduate students, enhances the quality of our academic programs, builds state-of-the-art learning facilities, advances research and supports healthcare.
“I can’t thank our donors enough for their unwavering and heartfelt support of the work we do and, thus, the impact we are able to make in West Virginia and around the world. We simply could not be the University we are and strive to be without this significant generosity.”
Fundraising is focusing on six University-wide campaign priority areas that align with the University’s 2020 Strategic Plan for the Future:
- Enhance the undergraduate student experience and global education
- Advance the research initiative of the University
- Enable WVU to improve West Virginia’s health, economy and quality of life
- Foster faculty excellence
- Enhance WVU through professional and graduate education
- Support healthcare through research, education and patient care
Major gifts announced over the past three months include an in-kind software donation from Schlumberger with a commercial value of $17.8 million; a $1 million donation from Michael Bodnar to the College of Business and Economics; a $250,000 gift from Chesapeake Energy to the College of Law; a $200,000 gift from Billy and Christie McCartney to the WVU Alumni Association; and a number of contributions establishing endowed scholarships across the campus.
Chairman of Putnam Investments and 1974 alumnus Robert Reynolds and Cadrillion Capital President Verl Purdy, a 1964 WVU graduate, are the national campaign co-chairmen while James “Buck” Harless is the national campaign honorary chairman.
A key focus of this comprehensive campaign for WVU is the utilization of hundreds of volunteers. Along with a 23-member national volunteer committee, the campaign also has West Virginia and regional volunteer chairs. Each college and school has its own campaign committee with its chair also serving on the national committee.
Visit www.astateofminds.com for information on how you can help support the campaign and view this recent video message from President Clements about how gifts to the campaign change lives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN23zGheN8s&feature=youtu.be.
