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Pictured: (seated left to right) Michele Nota, Executive Director, Alumni Relations; Robert Beagle, Vice President for University Advancement; Paul Witham, Associate Vice President for Development; Linda Acciardo, Director, Communications; (standing left to right) Sarah Howard, Director, Annual Giving; John Peltier, Director, Advancement Information Services; and Mary Patty, Director, Publications. Not pictured: Trueson Tarinelli, Acting Director for Athletic Development. |
Message from Advancement Vice President Robert Beagle
On October 13, 2007, nearly 500 alumni and friends gathered at the Westin Hotel in Providence to celebrate the highly successful Leadership Gift Phase of our current fund-raising campaign. It was a fantastic night as we also celebrated the success of URI alumni through our second annual Distinguished Achievement Awards Program.
That night was also a very special evening for celebrating how far we have come together. The current Making a Difference capital campaign has a goal of $100 million, which is primarily focused on building the endowment. Despite the fact that many thought such a goal would be too large for a modest sized university in a small state, for a staff small in numbers compared with our peers, or for a University that doesn’t have “old wealth with deep pockets,” we proved them wrong.
Our Leadership Gift Phase has generated more than 50 percent of the total $100 million goal! Such success has positioned the campaign to easily reach (and likely exceed) its original goal. This is a remarkable tribute to our professional staff, to our volunteers, to University leadership, and to the pride that our donors (and others) have for this University. People believe in URI and where it is headed.
This fall has also seen an aggressive marketing effort designed to call attention to the Making a Difference campaign, while building awareness of and pride in URI. The “Making a Difference” theme has been underscored in a flight of new television ads, in billboards around Rhode Island, in print ads, in a new T.F. Green Airport display, in QUAD ANGLES alumni magazine, and in a continued expansion of our electronic communications program.
It’s hard to believe that it was 15 years ago when we embarked on URI’s first-ever major fund-raising campaign. At the time, there were many who thought that goal ($50 million) was too big. But they were wrong too. We raised $66 million which we celebrated with a gala affair in 1997 under the stars at the Narragansett Towers. That, too, was largely an endowment campaign. Since 1992, the University’s endowment has grown from $12 million to more than $90 million!
In between these two endowment oriented campaigns, we undertook three building campaigns that raised nearly $23 million, including construction of the Ryan Center, a premier athletics and community venue, renovation of historic Green Hall, and transformation of Ballentine Hall, home of the College of Business Administration. These were the first significant fund-raising efforts that the University had ever conducted for building projects. Those successes defied marketing studies, which had suggested that a state university in Rhode Island could not raise private dollars for public buildings.
Along the way, the University focused on other things that are essential to engaging and galvanizing its various external constituents. Among them was building a virtually nonexistent alumni database, initiating a Development research program, and retooling our institutional communications programs. Adapting to changing demographic factors among our alumni, the Alumni Relations Office was upgraded and retooled, with the Alumni Association becoming a vital partner offering guidance, fiscal support, and volunteerism. Each of these initiatives required the efforts of outstanding staff, the support and guidance of many volunteers, and the cooperation of many throughout the University community.
Today, no major university—public or private—can hope to maintain its prominence unless it has both public and private resources. The State of Rhode Island contributes just 14 percent of URI’s operating budget, compared with 24 percent a decade ago, not including funds for capital projects. Of special importance these days are endowments, which are used as one measure of an institution’s profile and stature. Since the gift principal of an endowment remains forever intact, endowments also provide long-term fiscal stability and support.
In fiscal year 2006-2007, thanks once again to the generosity of alumni and friends, total charitable commitments to URI—including gifts of cash, stock, equipment, and annuities—reached $15,104,597. These gifts were put to use in both operating and endowed accounts supporting a variety of campus-wide programs.
Gifts and pledges to the Fund for URI totaled $1,315,772. Contributions to the Fund for URI provide critical support that can be put to immediate use where it is needed most. Unrestricted gifts provide scholarships for deserving undergraduates, support alumni programs, and provide funds for faculty development and a variety of student programs and services. Donors can also direct their annual gifts to a specific college, the Library, student affairs, a number of graduate school programs, or the Parents Fund.
Gifts to athletics, including the Rhode Island Rams Athletic Association, capital projects, gifts in kind, and endowments, totaled $1,250,000 last year, creating opportunities for student-athletes on and off the field. This July, we also welcomed a new Director of Athletics, Thorr Bjorn, formerly senior associate athletic director at the University of Massachusetts, who brings a strong record of success in fund raising, and marketing, and sponsorships.
Throughout the leadership gift phase of the campaign, we have seen a major infusion of commitments to establish endowments in support of students, faculty, and programs. To date, these new endowments, established by alumni and friends of the University, number 180 with a value exceeding $20 million. We have also received more than $4 million in new gift commitments to various capital building projects, including the Student-Athlete Development Center, the Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences, the Student Wellness Center, and the International Center for Students and Scholars.
As I mentioned earlier, none of these successes would be possible without the extraordinary support of volunteers. Nothing beats the power of volunteerism, which extends beyond monetary gifts—it also comes in the form of counsel, a willingness to ask others to do their part, enthusiasm for attending programs and events, and advocacy for the University in many different settings.
The current campaign has been so successful because of Chairman Tom Ryan’s leadership and the dedication of his campaign committee. At the same time, Peter Miniati provided inspirational leadership to the Alumni Association, while Murph Carmody has put her considerable passion and her sage counsel to work guiding the URI Foundation. Laura and Steve Cunningham have played key roles as co-chairs of the Fund for URI—annual giving is an integral feature of the current campaign. John DeCubellis never tires of working to expand the Rhode Island Rams Athletic Association, without which many projects within Athletics would not be possible. Cynthia and David Phelan have cochaired the Parents Fund, which is important to supporting many programs and projects in Student Life.
On behalf of President Carothers, my VP colleagues, our volunteer leaders, and all of URI, we want to thank each of you for your gifts to URI. Every gift, regardless of size or purpose, makes a difference! Without you, URI couldn’t continue to be the highly respected university that it has become.
Robert Beagle
Vice President for University Advancement
