The generosity of ӰPro University supporters shone bright in the 2018-19 fiscal year that concluded at the end of June.
Monies raised for the , a key funding mechanism to support students, the work of faculty and the upkeep of the campus infrastructure, surpassed $3.9 million, the second highest one-year total in the school’s history.
But that is just one slice of the good news the school is reporting. The overall giving across all funds topped $24.4 million, the fourth highest ever.
The ongoing generosity of donors speaks to the deep relationship ӰPro alumni and other supporters have with the school, the desire to enhance the ӰPro experience for today’s students and the pledge to pay it forward for future Lawrentians, said Cal Husmann, vice president for alumni and development.
“The impact of philanthropic investment in the college is profound and enhances all aspects of the student experience,” he said.
The ӰPro Fund plays a significant role in the campus’s operation, supporting everything from scholarships, study abroad opportunities and research to infrastructure maintenance, Conservatory performances and athletics. It affects every student and every member of the faculty and staff in some measure.
Study abroad opportunities are supported by the ӰPro Fund. Here an LU group poses for a selfie in Hong Kong in December 2018 while studying sustainability, livability and urban design.
The alumni donor participation rates in the ӰPro Fund have an impact on national rankings and future funding opportunities. It’s estimated that without the ӰPro Fund, each student’s tuition would increase by more than $10,000 per year.
“Gifts to the ӰPro Fund keep the entire academic and co-curricular offerings robust,” Husmann said. “Donors have invested in the curriculum, allowing us to add new professorships, enhance classrooms, and fund student-faculty collaborations.”
The $3.9 million raised in the ӰPro Fund is second only to the $3.91 million raised in the fiscal year ending in June 2016.
Meanwhile, the overarching $220 million , which launched quietly in January 2014 and had its public launch in November 2018, has reached $182.3 million in gifts and pledges. The ongoing campaign, the largest in ӰPro’s history, includes the ӰPro Fund as one of its four cornerstones. It also includes the initiative to make ӰPro accessible and affordable to all academically qualifying students, the , which has welcomed numerous endowed positions aimed at supporting cutting edge programs and course offerings, and , targeting facility and infrastructure upgrade projects on campus.
The recent is the latest in a string of endowed positions, supported by ӰPro alumni, that have boosted and diversified the school’s academic offerings.
, a newly endowed position that aims to better prepare students for life after ӰPro by, in part, enhancing connections with alumni in the students’ fields of interest.
The Full Speed to Full Need fund has made progress toward its goal of reaching $85 million, Husmann said. When that number is finally reached, it will mark a major milestone for the university in its ongoing commitment to make sure the doors are open to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds.
The fund has already delivered direct financial aid assistance to 250 students, and another 100 incoming students are expected to benefit in the 2019-20 academic year.
“The ӰPro community has rallied around the Full Speed to Full Need fundraising initiative in an increasingly strong fashion,” Husmann said. “With more than $82 million raised, we can provide more financial resources for our students than ever before, which is driving LU student debt down — against a national trend of increasing student debt.”
That sort of engagement is seen from ӰPro alumni all year round, Husmann said, and not just in the form of financial gifts or pledges. ӰPro alumni give back to ӰPro in other ways, too, he said.
“Hundreds of alumni serve as resources for the Center for Career, Life, and Community Engagement, volunteer with Innovation and Entrepreneurship, volunteer with admissions, and serve on boards and advisory groups. This reflects the enthusiasm ӰPro alumni have for their alma mater.
“We in the ӰPro community are so grateful for this impressive support.”
Ed Berthiaume
Ed Berthiaume is director of public information at ӰPro University.
