On Sept. 15, President Carol C. Harter publicly announced what had been one of Las Vegas' worst-kept secrets: a $500 million, seven-year fundraising effort, the largest campaign ever for higher education in Nevada.The effort, which has been under way since January 2002, has already raised more than $263 million in gifts and pledges for core campus needs.
The Invent the Future campaign is the alchemy between the 2002 master plan crafted by the president, deans, and the UNLV Planning Council and a fundraising feasibility study. While the master plan set the goals for the university's future development, the feasibility study assessed how much private support the university could bring in so those goals could be achieved.
The resulting universitywide comprehensive campaign (so called as every private dollar received during this period will be counted toward the goal) will provide money dedicated to student and faculty support, research funding, capital building projects, and facilities improvements.
"While the campaign is the first of this magnitude in this state, similar efforts have become a regular occurrence in many university communities nationwide," says John F. Gallagher, vice president for development and executive director of the UNLV Foundation.
The proportion of UNLV's budget that comes from state funding has dropped dramatically even as rising costs and exponentially growing student enrollment have stressed resources. Just 10 years ago, the state provided 65 percent of the university's annual funding; today, a mere one-third of UNLV's budget comes from legislative support. Student tuition and fees, operational incomes from concessions and venue rentals, grant funding, and private support from alumni and friends comprise the balance of funding for UNLV's progressively more sophisticated operation.
"It has become increasingly clear that UNLV, like nearly all universities, must augment its public support to maintain its edge as a top research institution," explains Dan Van Epp, volunteer chair for the UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees. "Our alumni, volunteers, and community members are committed to finding and dedicating private resources to keep higher education at the forefront of our relatively young community's agenda."
Harter's announcement was a strategically orchestrated moment in the business plan for the campaign. For the last three years, the endeavor has been in what is commonly known as the "silent" or "nucleus" phase. A dynamic infrastructure to support the campaign spread across campus. Volunteer rolls grew from a handful of participants to more than 400 alumni and community leaders serving on working and advisory councils. UNLV saw a dramatic increase in alumni gifts of $10,000 or more as concerted efforts in every campus department heightened the awareness of UNLV's need for private funding of scholarships, research, operations, and facilities.
At the same time, President Harter, campus administrators, and volunteer leaders secured more than $141 million in cornerstone donations from Beverly and Jim Rogers, the Greenspun family, William S. Boyd, and the Orthodontics Education Co. These lead gifts set precedents in UNLV's fundraising history and provided the momentum needed to support campaign efforts.
This month marked a milestone as the campaign officially surpassed its halfway point in terms of dollars raised. During the next four years, outreach, fundraising, and involvement efforts will continually broaden to encourage more alumni and community members to help UNLV invent the future.
What will the money do for UNLV?
It will…
- Enhance the quality of education and research activities.
- Raise
UNLV's public profile and academic reputation.
- Broaden alumni support
and participation.
- Strengthen UNLV's ability to impact economic
development.
- Involve
more people in the life of the university.
- Provide long-term stability to UNLV through private revenue.
But really, what will the money do?
Provide money for UNLV in perpetuity through endowments. These large sums of money — either from one gift or the combination of many — are invested long-term and the interest generated is used to fund faculty salaries, scholarships, and operational and research support.
Strengthen the foundation of academic excellence. Funds raised for academics directly impact learning opportunities through scholarships, fellowships, career advising, mentorship programs, and more.
Build buildings. Private support is helping UNLV build such vital facilities as the Greenspun Hall for the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs and the Science, Engineering and Technology Building.
Enhance existing facilities. Today's student needs more than just a lecture hall with desks. Money from the campaign will allow the university to provide the latest laboratories, electronic classrooms, and innovative learning environments.
