Washburn University announced its largest fundraising campaign ever.
On Friday evening, university president JuliAnn Mazachek and alumni president Marshall Meek announced the launch of Forever Washburn, a donation campaign to collect $250 million.
“Our entire Washburn community is riding an incredible wave of momentum, with record-breaking enrollment growth on all campuses and new opportunities that put a college education within reach for all students,” said Mazachek. “Guided by our strategic framework and campus master plan, we will catapult Washburn to the next level while remaining steadfast in providing personalized education.
"Washburn is an incredibly special place, and we can’t wait to see what forever holds.”
What will Forever Washburn campaign funds be used for?
Forever Washburn funding will be to support Washburn’s vision and includes four pillars based on Washburn’s strategic plan, each with its own fundraising goal:
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$80 million to create scholarship opportunities.
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$80 million to enable support for teaching and program excellence.
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$25 million for creating real-world learning and service opportunities.
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$65 million to optimizing space on campus.
Campaign began in 2019 with 'quiet phase' and raised $140 million
Currently, the campaign has already exceeded half of the university's goal, and $140 million has already been collected. The "quiet phase" of Forever Washburn started in 2019.
“The donors who have been so important in propelling Washburn forward into this incredible chapter in Washburn’s history have inspired us to think big, to have lofty goals and to achieve new heights in supporting the best possible educational experience for every student,” said Meek. “Our donors and alumni inspire us every day to uphold Washburn’s legacy of providing accessible, high-quality education while striving for excellence in all we do.”
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Washburn eyes $240M goal after 2019 quiet fundraising start hits $140M