Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies

Fund-raising campaign moves toward new goal

Mary Wehbie

Miami University's For Love and Honor Campaign passed the $300 million mark at the end of fall semester. This means the campaign has raised a current total of $325 million-with three years remaining in the quest for a $500 million total.

"The goal statement is to achieve the $500 million objective by 2010 to support the core project that benefits student and faculty and to change the culture of giving at Miami University," said Brad Bundy, associate vice president for university advancement and campaign director. "Our original goal was $300 million by Dec. 31 and I am really pleased that we met our original timeline. I am increasingly confident that we will reach our $500 million goal."

The campaign made the decision to extend For Love and Honor through the university's bicentennial year of 2009 and increase the goal to $500 million, according Bundy. The decision to lengthen the deadline was made in fall 2006, and this action gives the campaign until 2010 to achieve the $500 million goal.

Though the gifts from 2007 are still being counted, according to Bundy $440,000 came from donors utilizing the official Web site, www.forloveandhonor.org.

Miami University's last campaign was in 1993, and raised $112 million-just one third of the current total of the current campaign, said Kevin Marks, director of university advancement program and associate campaign director.

Although the original goal of the campaign was $300 million as Bundy said earlier, the number originally released to the public was $350 million, according to Marks.

"During the bicentennial year we are going to communicate the campaign to a greater extent," Marks said. "We will do more broad-based about the campaign."

As a method of encouraging alumni to participate in For Love and Honor, Marks said the campaign has visited cities housing a high concentration of Miami graduates, and is holding galas where the alumni are educated about the importance of giving back to the university.

From Marks' perspective, there will be a greater push to raise funds at the end of the For Love and Honor Campaign.

Thus far campaign funds, through gifts and endowments, have been far reaching with a majority going to scholarship funds and faculty endowments. The rest is parceled out between the different departments.

Bundy said that gifts are put toward current projects while endowments are put toward major projects in the future, such as a new student center.

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

The current endowment has $77 million to go toward scholarships, $18 for faculty support and $60 million for capital funds-which have benefited the Goggin Ice Center and the new Farmer School of Business building.

Gifts do not only benefit Miami University's Oxford campus, but the Hamilton and Middletown campuses as well.

According to Bundy, Miami University Hamilton and Middletown have taken on similar projects to the Oxford campus by increasing the scholarship fund, faculty support and improving technology.

Bundy's hope is that each alumnus will participate in the life of the campaign before its conclusion.

In terms of gifts and contributions, For Love and Honor has worked to target the graduates of the past 15 years as a step toward the goal of 25 percent of Miami alumni to give annually.

Bundy said alumni's giving is important, because it keeps education affordable.

"The sooner you can get an education the more likely it will be that they will give back (to the university)," Bundy said.