The Campaign for Tennessee, the most ambitious fundraising effort in the 216-year history of the University of Tennessee, reached its $1-billion goal 18 months ahead of schedule. While the campaign is not officially over until December 2011, a total of $1,023,331,880 has been committed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis monumental success of reaching our goal early is a grand statement by our alumni and friends that they believe in the work of our faculty and leadership as well as the importance of the University of Tennessee in their lives and in the future of our state,\u201d said UT Interim President Jan Simek.<\/p>\n
The campaign\u2019s success places UT among an elite group of only 28 public universities that have successfully completed fundraising campaigns of at least $1 billion, according to the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.<\/p>\n
Time to Achieve<\/strong><\/p>\n In The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\u2019s campus fundraising component, \u201cTime to Achieve,\u201d good progress is being made toward the $65 million goal.<\/p>\n \u201cThe campaign in Chattanooga is reaching out to all friends and supporters and asks them to rise to the occasion,\u201d said Brenda Lawson of Cleveland, Tennessee, who served as co-chair of the Campaign for Tennessee with Jim and Natalie Haslam of Knoxville.\u00a0 \u201cChattanooga has a strong history of sharing blessings with the community and the University.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201cTime to Achieve\u201d Campaign has inspired:<\/p>\n Campaign for Tennessee<\/strong><\/p>\n The gift that put the UT system campaign over the top came from the family of UT Board of Trustees member Charles C. Anderson Jr., CEO of Anderson Media Corp., and his wife, Moll, an author; lifestyle, marketing and communications expert; and TV host. They live in Knoxville.<\/p>\n \u201cMoll and I considered how we could best make a positive impact on this state and region. The University was the obvious answer,\u201d said Charlie Anderson, who graduated from UT Knoxville with a marketing degree.<\/p>\n \u201cThe University has already given so much to our family, it was just natural that we would want to give back,\u201d Moll Anderson said.<\/p>\n In recognizing the Andersons\u2019 generosity, the University is naming UT Knoxville\u2019s College of Business Administration’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in their honor. The newly-named Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation houses a unique and vibrant program with incredible interest by students and faculty with a goal of establishing future business that will positively impact the economy in the region.<\/p>\n The gift also has established the Moll R. Anderson Scholarship Endowment to provide scholarships for single parents with special consideration given to parents whose children participate in the Boys and Girls Clubs.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe in dreams,\u201d Moll Anderson said. \u201cI believe you can do anything you want to do if you set your mind to it. If you add an education to that determination nothing can stop you.\u201d<\/p>\n So far, more than 98,000 donors have given to the Campaign for Tennessee. More than 11,000 current and retired faculty and staff have donated $70.5 million as part of the family campaign led by UT President Emeritus Joe Johnson.<\/p>\n Campaign for Tennessee co-chairs Jim and Natalie Haslam of Knoxville and Brenda Lawson of Cleveland say they are excited by the opportunities made possible by the campaign’s success.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Campaign for Tennessee is not about numbers; it is about people. But the amount of money given and pledged allows the University to take the lead in being the engine of economic success for our state,\u201d Jim Haslam said.<\/p>\n Lawson added, \u201cWe have worked to make sure the University has what it needs, whether it is support to keep our outstanding professors or scholarships to ensure that financial need is not a barrier to access for students who want to attend any of UT’s campuses.\u201d<\/p>\n Typical of public university fundraising, most donors designate the use of their gifts. About 98 percent of all Campaign for Tennessee gifts is allocated for a specific scholarship, professorship, program or other objective of the donor’s choosing. These gifts cannot be used to offset the University\u2019s operating costs.<\/p>\n Thirty-seven percent of the campaign total consists of deferred gifts that include bequests, charitable trusts and gift annuities which, by their nature, will not be realized for many years. Another third of the total consists of pledges to be paid over a period of years. The remainder is made up of gifts already received.<\/p>\n The Campaign for Tennessee\u2019s positive impact already is visible in the changing skyline of each campus.<\/p>\n Private gifts provided significant funding for the following:<\/p>\n In addition, the Sherri Parker Lee Softball Stadium, Regal Soccer Complex, Pratt Pavilion basketball practice facility and renovations to Neyland Stadium and Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville were funded entirely by private dollars.<\/p>\n While the $1 billion goal has been met 18 months early, the campaign will continue until its scheduled completion date of December 2011. Fundraising remains critical to the University’s future, said Simek.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though we have reached our overall goal for the Campaign for Tennessee, we are not finished,\u201d he said. \u201cCampuses and colleges are striving to achieve their individual goals, and the University is continuing to reshape its strategic plans.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Campaign for Tennessee, the most ambitious fundraising effort in the 216-year history of the University of Tennessee, reached its $1-billion goal 18 months ahead of schedule. While the campaign is not officially over until December 2011, a total of $1,023,331,880 has been committed.<\/p>\n\n
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