University of Wyoming Launches $125 Million Campaign

Sept. 27, 2002 The University of Wyoming today kicked off the public phase of the largest private fund raising campaign in its history, and the first in more than a decade.

UW President Philip L. Dubois and the campaign chairman, retired U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson, introduced the campaign and were scheduled later to honor several key supporters, including Vice President Dick Cheney, at a black tie event on campus.

"I believe that we now face a pivotal moment in Wyoming's history," Simpson said. "By the end of the campaign this university will be dramatically different, not just physically, but in the ability to attract top scholars and students."

"DISTINCTION: The Campaign for Wyoming's University" was initiated in July 2000 to raise $100 million over five years in support of an Academic Plan completed by UW in 1999. The plan's objectives are building the university's national reputation through academic distinction, bolstering its financial position, and increasing student enrollment and retention.

More than 78 percent of the working campaign goal, or $78.2 million, was received in the leadership phase of the campaign, Dubois said, including 20 gifts of $1 million or more. In its entire history, UW has received only 36 such gifts. This early success, according to Dubois, prompted UW trustees this month to set a new goal of $125 million. The campaign is comprehensive, which means all gifts received through June 2005 are included.

"The Academic Plan has been acclaimed by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Wyoming legislators, and UW alumni and friends for its tough choices and smart strategies," Dubois said. "We know exactly where we are going to achieve distinction and how to get there."

Areas targeted for "distinction" include UW's 8 year old Institute and School of Environment and Natural Resources, and life science programs such as molecular biology and chemistry. Officials see UW becoming renowned for its expertise in history and culture of Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West, and also will focus on programs to spur economic development for Wyoming.

A major sub goal of the campaign is to substantially increase the university's total endowment of $130 million, including the addition of at least 15 endowed faculty positions at UW within the targeted disciplines.

"We have a tremendous opportunity in the years ahead because one third of our faculty is coming up on retirement age in the next seven years," Dubois said. "What we do with those 200 faculty positions will affect the institution for the next 30 years."

In addition to attracting teachers with endowed professorships, the campaign's priorities include funding for student scholarships, research programs, and internships to compete for top students and help UW meet its optimum enrollment goal of 13,000. The preliminary enrollment figure at UW this fall semester is approximately 11,900.

Renovated and improved classrooms and laboratories, including new equipment and technologies, are on the campaign agenda, Dubois said. Another priority is funding of Leadership Wyoming, which aims to train a broad based pool of leaders for Wyoming who have a statewide economic perspective and knowledge of key regional and state issues.

The university currently receives about 44 percent of its funding from the Wyoming Legislature, and 11 percent from tuition revenue. The remainder is provided by a variety of revenue sources including research grants, self sustaining business operations, and private gifts.

Private support of UW has nearly tripled in the past five years, from an annual average of $6.5 million in 1992 97 to $18.7 million annually. In that same period the number of donors has grown 36 percent from 17,000 in 1997 to more than 23,000 in 2002.

Posted on Friday, September 27, 2002