VCU and UR wage a ‘Battle for the Capital’

By Tom Gresham

The highly anticipated showdown on the basketball court between Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond won’t be the only charged matchup of the crosstown rivals this week. The universities’ alumni bases are also set to square off in the second annual Battle for the Capital – and good-natured revenge is on the Rams’ minds.

The Battle for the Capital is a giving challenge pitting the alumni of the two universities against each other. The universities score points when they receive donations from their alumni. The challenge counts each donation ($5 minimum) made by credit card or check as one point. Points will be tallied only during the weeks that lead up to this season’s Atlantic 10 two matchups on the court between the Rams and the Spiders.

The first week of the battle will run from Jan. 25 through the end of the Feb. 1 game, which starts at 11 a.m. at the Siegel Center. A second week will be staged from Feb. 27 through the end of the March 6 contest, which will be held at 9 p.m. at the Robins Center. Alumni can score a point during each week of the competition, though they cannot score multiple points during a single week. Spouses of alumni from the same school count as two points.

VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., said the competition helps highlight the value of alumni giving to universities such as VCU and UR.

“Alumni annual philanthropy makes a such difference in the life of the university, bolstering so many areas – student scholarships, research, study-abroad opportunities, just to name a few,” Rao said. “When our alumni give back they are not only helping VCU excel as a nationally premier urban, public research university but they are also investing in the lasting value of their degrees.”

The Spiders got the better of the Rams during last year’s inaugural challenge, which was held the week leading to the schools’ March 6 game at the Siegel Center. Although VCU prevailed on the court, 93-82, Richmond alumni took home the Battle for the Capital prize, enjoying a commanding 507 to 271 victory. The win came with an engraved trophy, which VCU hopes to wrest away this year.

Despite the loss, VCU emerged from the contest victorious in other ways, receiving a slew of new donations that included contributions from dozens of first-time donors.

“The participation of our alumni in the inaugural Battle for the Capital exceeded our expectations, and we appreciate the University of Richmond’s partnership in our unified goal of engaging alumni through this friendly competition,” said Michael P. Andrews, a VCU alumnus and the university’s director of annual giving. “We know our alumni will rally to beat the Spiders off the court this year. ”

For more information about the Battle for the Capital, including a scoreboard that will updated during the week and information about how to contribute, visit http://www.battleforthecapital.org/, a site that VCU and UR is sharing for the challenge.

 

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