VCU Raises Record $410.3 Million

By Pamela DiSalvo Lepley
Division of University Relations

VIDEO CLIPS
Campaign co-chairs discuss the benefits of the Campaign for VCU to the university and community:

Tom Snead, co-chair, Monroe Park Campus Campaign

Jim Roberts, co-chair, MCV Campus Campaign

Virginia Commonwealth University tonight celebrated the conclusion of its largest capital campaign in history with the announcement that a record $410,341,216 was raised, exceeding the original $330.5 million goal by more than 24 percent, or nearly $80 million.

The ambitious, eight-year Campaign for VCU reflected eight major initiatives based on relating the university's needs to those of the community.

"This campaign was a huge success thanks to the teamwork of hundreds of volunteers and the generosity of thousands of people, including alumni and friends of VCU," said VCU President Eugene P. Trani. "On behalf of the university, I especially want to express our gratitude to the campaign leaders and their teams whose inspiration motivated record-breaking support of Virginia Commonwealth University.

The Campaign for VCU included major private funding efforts that raised more than $247 million on VCU's MCV Campus and $160 million on the Monroe Park Campus, helping to provide state-of-the art facilities and technology across both campuses. In addition, the campaign supported more than 250 new endowed scholarships and 60 new endowed professorships and chairs.

James C. Roberts, a partner in the Troutman Sanders law firm, and his wife, Charlotte, co-chaired the MCV Campus campaign. Thomas Snead, Jr., former president and CEO of the Southeast Region for WellPoint, Inc., and his wife, Vickie, co-chaired the Monroe Park Campus campaign. The Sneads are 1976 graduates of the VCU School of Business.

"VCU students and everybody in the community benefit from the new infrastructure and technology gained as a result of the campaign," said Mr. Roberts. "The improvements lead to better learning, better patient care, and more discoveries through research that will enhance all of our lives."

"This campaign will create legacies that will last for decades," Mr. Snead said. "We are Virginia's university, and this campaign will provide opportunities to our students and our community that were unimaginable just a few short years ago."

The campaign was composed of 20 mini-campaigns, all of which exceeded their goals and supported initiatives to:

·        Fight the war on cancer;
·        Relieve the national nursing shortage;
·        Provide business with well-trained and motivated engineers and business executives who have great technical and business skills;
·        Grant greater access to the fulfillment of the American dream through scholarships;
·        Improve patient care;
·        Establish Central Virginia as a national leader in the life sciences;
·        Attract bright and ambitious students and faculty to our community;
·        Enhance the region's cultural and artistic atmosphere.

VCU officials said that 67,000 individuals and organizations, including 42,000 new donors, contributed to the campaign. VCU's endowment has nearly doubled, from $230 million to more than $405 million.

The honorary chair of the Campaign for VCU was Richard T. Robertson, VCU Board of Visitors member and senior advisor to the Warner Bros. Television Group. Robertson chaired VCU's last campaign, which ended in 1998 and raised more than $167 million.

For more information on the campaign, visit www.advancement.vcu.edu.