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WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. announced on November 11 an aggressive capital campaign to raise $250 million for West Virginia's flagship University and its regional campuses.
"Our vision is clear. Our plan is bold. We invite you to join us in this worthy enterprise," said the president.
Building Greatness, Campaign: West Virginia University is the largest capital campaign in the University's history. WVU's last campaign, from 1988 to 1993, brought in over $130 million.
There should be no problem topping that mark in this campaign. Over $116.5 million has already been raised during the campaign's "silent phase," which began in July 1998. The campaign concludes in December 2003.
Hardesty noted that private sources of funding are critical because only 57 percent of WVU's total revenue budget comes from state funds and tuition and fees.
Student support represents the largest single component of the campaign. Hardesty called this "the bedrock of a truly student-centered University."
The $250 million campaign goal includes:
- $68 million for student scholarships, fellowships, and programs.
- $43 million for faculty chairs, professorships, and development.
- $6 million for University library enrichment.
- $67 million for academic research and initiatives.
- $56 million for campus development and technology.
- $10 million for a 21st century opportunities fund.
"The University's friends are many and generous, and just as the private sector stepped up a generation ago to support a campaign that moved WVU to its current level of excellence, we expect they will again come forward to support this campaign that will enable the University to move to a new level of national prominence," Hardesty said.
Ray Lane, the former president and chief operating officer of Oracle Corp., is the national chairman of the new campaign. The Pittsburgh (Moon Township) native is now a general partner with the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers.
Lane, a 1968 WVU graduate, noted that West Virginia taxpayers and the state legislature have supported WVU through many challenges. So, too, have WVU's faculty, staff, and friends over the years.
Alluding to the campaign's theme, Lane said: "Now, we must turn to the broader University family. WVU alumni and friends across the state, nation, and around the world assuredly will welcome the opportunity to build greatness. We encourage them to dig deep."
Lane and his wife, Stephanie, have demonstrated their commitment to building greatness at WVU with a $5 million gift to the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. The Lanes' gift was the largest ever to the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, and is one of the largest gifts made to the University in its 124-year history.
"Every member of the national campaign committee and the WVU Foundation board of directors has made a personal commitment to this campaign," said Lane. "Individually and collectively we feel privileged to participate and are honored to serve on the board and campaign committee."
F. Duke Perry, president of the WVU Foundation, said that the personal dedication and support of "the campaign committee promises an exciting adventure. We encourage other alumni and friends to step aboard as WVU heads toward greatness."
Perry said the campaign offers many commemorative giving opportunities. These gifts link a donor's name, or a name honored by the donor, with an endowed gift such as a chair or professorship, an undergraduate scholarship, a laboratory, or an entire building.
Enriching the Academic Experience
At kick-off ceremonies held in the Caperton Indoor Practice Facility on November 11, campaign committee members, Foundation board members, and invited guests heard moving words from WVU students and faculty members about the ways private giving has helped them strive for greatness.
Amanda Walker, a WVU Foundation Scholar from Follansbee, spoke of the importance of scholarship support for students. The senior biology and French major and current student body vice president is a recipient of the University's premiere award for the state's top high school graduates. Foundation Scholarships are worth more than $42,000 over the course of a student's undergraduate career.
"The Foundation Scholarship provided the support I needed to enrich my college experience," said Walker. "Without the stipend included in the scholarship, I would not have had the opportunity to study abroad in France. This experience inspired me not only to pursue a second major in French, but also to reassess my academic and professional goals."
George Esper, who holds the Ogden Newspapers Visiting Professorship in Journalism, spoke on the importance of endowing professorships to attract top professionals and educators to WVU classrooms and laboratories. Esper, a Uniontown, Pa., native and a 1953 graduate of WVU, is a retired special correspondent for the Associated Press. He was chief of the AP's Saigon bureau during the Vietnam War.
"Endowed professorships raise West Virginia University to new heights of excellence, benefiting us all," he said. "They give WVU an opportunity to bring in the best and brightest in their fields, raising even more the visibility and prestige of an already highly acclaimed school.
"How exciting it must be for students to study under these top minds, and to benefit from their experiences and their contacts-which often lead to other opportunities after graduation."
Esper has held two endowed faculty positions at WVU. The first was the Shott Chair in Journalism endowed by the Hugh I. Shott Jr. Foundation, currently held by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Terry Wimmer. After a career spanning more than 40 years reporting national and international stories for the AP, Esper now teaches courses at WVU on feature writing and war reporting.
"Hugh Shott, and Ogden Nutting and
his sons, Bill and Bob, made it possible for me to return to
my alma mater. For that, I'm forever grateful," he said.