UM campaign surpasses $100 million goal

The University of Montana raised $131 million during its five-year Invest in Discovery — Connecting People, Programs and Place campaign, soundly surpassing the original $100 million goal.

National Campaign Chair Deborah Doyle McWhinney was elated by the campaign results and had this to say to the donors and volunteers from Montana and around the country: “Thank you 131 million times! More than 29,000 people chose to invest in making (UM) even stronger. There is no question that the investment by alumni and friends is paying off and in ways that can be felt throughout campus and the state. More affordable education — through scholarships — excellent programs, and new and improved learning facilities will all go to help UM stay at the top of its game.”

She also was impressed by the widespread giving of donors, as more than 17,000 alumni and nearly 13,000 first-time donors participated in the campaign. She said more than half of the donors were from Montana.

Responding to the huge outpouring of new donors and reinvesting donors, Laura Brehm, UM Foundation president and CEO, said, “I think people really understand and believe that supporting UM isn’t just an investment in higher education, it’s an investment in Montana. It’s a great day at (UM), and I’m so excited about the possibilities going forward.”

UM President George Dennison said, “Fundamentally, the success of the campaign positioned the University to continue on this path that we’ve outlined, which is to achieve the vision for a research-oriented, very comprehensive institution that responds to needs nationally and internationally, as well as to those of the region.”

While Dennison believes UM will always strive for total realization of that vision, “the campaign allows us to more firmly build a foundation from which we can optimistically continue in that developmental path.”

Raising $131 million for the Invest in Discovery campaign is an unprecedented achievement for UM, the UM Foundation and countless volunteers, but the impact of private support does not stop there. Dennison said a stunning $41 million in private funds also was received by the campus during the same period — a direct result of the productivity of UM faculty in securing grants for research and program support from private foundations and organizations.

Taken together, he said, the University has benefited from $172 million in private support during the campaign years, and there is no doubt that this critical source of funding will continue to be central to the University’s future and its success.

Campaign donors targeted their gifts to specific areas of interest. They gave $26 million for student support, including 486 undergraduate scholarships and 79 graduate fellowships that were created or enhanced. Faculty support totaled $11 million and included fully funding the Craighead Chair in Wildlife Biology and the Poe Family Professorship in Entrepreneurship.

Academic programs received $57 million in gifts to create or enhance 419 current-use funds and 239 program endowments. Support for renovations and new buildings amounted to $37 million. Don Anderson Hall for journalism was dedicated in May 2007, as was the Biomedical Research Facility and Science Learning Complex addition to the Skaggs Building for the College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences.

Even though the Invest in Discovery campaign has come to a close, there are still many critical needs on campus that would benefit from private support. These include the Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Sciences; the Native American Center; UM’s most prestigious undergraduate awards, the Presidential Leadership Scholarships; the Phyllis J. Washington Education Center; the Montana Museum of Art & Culture; the Montana University System Honors Scholarships, awarded to outstanding students from Montana high schools; the Gilkey Center for Executive Education; the Law School Building renovation and addition; the T. Anthony Pollner Distinguished Professor in Journalism; and the alumni center.

Brehm said the University embarked upon this historic $100 million capital campaign in July 2002. After amassing $72 million, the campaign transitioned from a private to public phase in 2005 and set the date of Dec. 31, 2007, to bring the campaign to its official conclusion.

For more information or to learn more about supporting UM, call the UM Foundation at 406-243-2593 or go online to http://www.DiscoveryNeverEnds.org.