More than 230,000 alumni and friends have brought Michigan State University to a significant milestone: surging past the fundraising goal of $1.5 billion more than a year before the “Empower Extraordinary” campaign is set to conclude.
“One of the hallmarks of a successful campaign is meeting your goal early, says Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon. “Meeting the goal essentially almost a year and a half early is really great.
“I think it represents a recognition that Michigan State continues to appreciate in value.”
The campaign—which publicly launched in the fall of 2014 and is the most ambitious in MSU’s history—exceeded fundraising goals in areas such as student scholarships and support for student and community programs that helped reach over the $1.5 billion mark. The campaign will continue through Dec. 31, 2018 with a focus on funding several key initiatives including:
- Create a world class business facility. The next chapter for the Broad College requires new spaces that allow for instruction to happen in a more collaborative way. More than $32 million has been raised for the $60 million project.
- Strengthen health science research. MSU aims to achieve this with the new Grand Rapids Research Center opening Sept. 20. The project has achieved more than half of its fundraising goal under the leadership of the College of Human Medicine.
- Expand and enhance music facilities. The College of Music hopes to provide much needed state-of-the-art rehearsal, learning, recording and performance spaces. The project has received nearly 50 percent of its fundraising goal.
- Increase number of endowed faculty positions. An “Empower Extraordinary” campaign goal is to create 100 new endowed faculty positions to support the best teachers, researchers and problem-solvers. To date, 71 new endowed positions have been established.
“We’ve got a lot more work to do to be competitive and ensure that Michigan State University attracts and retains the kind of people we want as faculty and students.
“More importantly, we’ve just got to continue to raise money. We have a big public heart, and we see ourselves as a public university for Michigan, and for the country, and for the world. And that won’t waiver.
“But we do need to have private resources to fuel those margins of excellence.”
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