UF’s Go Greater campaign creates 4.6 billion+ opportunities – News

The University of Florida’s report-setting Go Greater campaign topped $4.6 billion when it concluded on Dec. 31, 2022, making it one of the profitable campaigns in all of academia, the college introduced this week.

Almost 300,000 donors and near 2,000 campaign volunteers invested in college students, professors, initiatives and discoveries. Go Greater’s grand whole is among the many most ever raised at a public college, the most important within the historical past of the state of Florida and highest amongst SEC faculties.

Go Greater’s success is a significant component in UF’s unprecedented climb in nationwide rankings — from No. 14 on U.S. News and World Report’s listing of finest public universities in 2014, when the campaign started, to No. 5 now. During the campaign, analysis awards to the college elevated to $1 billion, 600 new school positions had been created and functions from college students eager to be Gators set report highs.

The campaign additionally launched life-altering initiatives, together with nationwide summits, in areas equivalent to mind analysis and coverings, early childhood training and properly-being, and advancing synthetic intelligence to boost how folks be taught, work and stay.

“Time and time again alumni and friends have rallied for this university,” President Kent Fuchs stated. “It’s not just out of loyalty or love or appreciation. It’s because they believe in the University of Florida’s potential to change lives for the better and to address the grand challenges all of us are facing.”

Go Greater ended with a flurry in 2022, with greater than $684 million contributed that yr, marking the fourth consecutive yr that annual giving to the college surpassed $500 million. Investments all through the campaign helped develop the college’s endowment to $2.4 billion, a $1.1 billion improve from 2014, and supplied funding for scholarships, professorships, analysis and different life-enhancing initiatives. Fundraising for Go Greater was organized round 5 broad pillars: management, well being and wellness, the setting, innovation and international affect.

“These past eight years are a springboard for the next decade,” stated Anita Zucker, chair of the UF Foundation’s govt board. “Because of this campaign and the alumni and friends who supported it, the University of Florida is one of the world’s truly great universities. And because of our university, we can all look toward the future with more optimism.”

Among the campaign’s notable items:

• The Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation supplied the most important present from a person donor in college historical past to speed up the tempo of biomedical discoveries at UF Scripps. The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation and Technology is known as of their honor.
• Al and Judy Warrington’s management present in 2014 kicked off the Go Greater campaign. At the time, their pledge was the one largest present in UF historical past.
• Chris and Melody Malachowsky’s pledged to make UF a worldwide chief in synthetic intelligence innovation and coaching. Their funding named the campus Data Science and Information Technology constructing and helps to combine A.I. into educating and analysis throughout tutorial majors to resolve society’s most formidable challenges.
• A separate funding within the College of Engineering from Dr. Herbie and Nicole Wertheim launched a $300 million initiative that’s revolutionizing engineering training and analysis. Their present was the catalyst for the most important growth within the school’s 100-yr historical past. In recognition, the school was renamed in Dr. Wertheim’s honor.
• Elisabeth DeLuca’s present of 27,000 acres of pristine land in Osceola County is defending one of many final pure areas of its type and serves as a dwelling classroom and laboratory. It is among the many largest items of actual property ever to any college within the nation, and contains cattle ranchlands, a citrus grove, ponds and forests.
• Bill Heavener supplied the management present for UF’s new $85 million soccer coaching middle, named in his honor. The 142,000-sq.-foot middle contains assembly rooms, a energy-and-conditioning middle, a eating corridor and recreation house for scholar-athletes.

The $4.6 billion in Go Greater far surpassed the $3 billion aim set when the campaign launched in 2014. The report quantity additionally shatters UF’s 4 earlier campaign totals: $1.7 billion in Florida Tomorrow (2005-2012), $851 million in It’s Performance that Counts (1996-2001) and $392 million in Embrace Excellence (1985-1991).

In all, Go Greater garnered greater than 1 million distinctive items, whereas UF’s annual alumni giving fee — a significant factor when calculating total rankings — climbed to twenty p.c, one of many highest in public greater training. Along the way in which, UF’s donors established 159 new endowed school positions, added 847 scholarships and created 15 new educating and studying facilities.

As a end result, the University of Florida is positioned to deal with issues which might be necessary to Floridians and others the world over: well being care, vitality and sustainability; local weather change and biodiversity; economies, entrepreneurship and innovation.

Go Greater information and statistics:

• $4.6 billion raised.
• 293,410 donors, together with:
  • 168,450 new donors;
  • 148,479 alumni; and,
  • 14,209 school and employees members.
• Almost 2,000 volunteers.
• Donors had been from all 67 Florida counties, all 50 states and 119 international locations.
• UF is the primary college in Florida to lift $4.6 billion in a single campaign.

“The Go Greater campaign was about creating opportunities and impact,” stated Tom Mitchell, vice chairman for UF Advancement. “Making a difference in the lives of our students, faculty, staff and communities within the state, the nation and the world is, and will continue to be, our ultimate goal.”

The University of Florida, the state’s flagship college, serves greater than 61,000 college students from all through the United States and 100 international locations. With 5 skilled faculties and 200 analysis, service and training facilities, bureaus and institutes on a 2,000-acre central campus, UF affords instructional opportunities matched by solely seven universities worldwide. UF is presently ranked No. 5 on U.S. News and World Report’s annual listing of finest public universities.