Largest universitywide capital campaign kicks off,
boosted by two of the biggest gifts in school history

Achieve! The Campaign for NC State, which was announced today, will help the university maintain its excellence in teaching, research, and extension. NC State is one of fewer than 50 universities to undertake a campaign of $1 billion or more.

One billion dollars. That’s “billion.”

With a “B.” And that’s the goal of Achieve! The Campaign For NC State: raise $1 billion for the university. The public phase of the campaign was officially announced today (Sept. 23).

“It’s an ambitious goal,” said Chancellor James L. Oblinger. “But this is NC State. The history of this university, the traditions we have built, and the supporters who hold NC State in high esteem and who have a history of giving back allow us to be ambitious.”

NC State is one of fewer than 50 universities in the nation to undertake a campaign of $1 billion or more. The campaign began with what is commonly called “the silent phase” in July 2001. Among other things, the silent phase allows the campaign to build momentum. In the case of Achieve!, donors and supporters have built a great deal of momentum, already reaching more than $800 million. The campaign will continue until June 2008.

In addition to the announcement of the campaign, Oblinger announced one of the largest gifts ever given to the university, a $20 million gift from the R.B. Terry Charitable Foundation to the College of Veterinary Medicine. The College of Veterinary Medicine will use the pledge during the next 10 years to support the planned $40 million Randall B. Terry Jr. Companion Animal Medical Center, named for the late High Point businessman and philanthropist.

The chancellor also announced that Edward P. Fitts, a 1961 engineering alumnus and CEO of Dopaco, has pledged $10 million to endow the Department of Industrial Engineering. This commitment is the largest gift ever received by the College of Engineering from an individual donor and the largest endowed gift to academics in NC State’s history.

“NC State is a community of achievers,” Oblinger said to an audience of donors, students, university employees, community members and other supporters gathered at McKimmon Center. “Private gifts given during this campaign will help solidify NC State’s reputation as a national center for learning, with award-winning faculty, groundbreaking research, unique economic development partnerships, and a diverse learning environment that creates globally ready leaders well-equipped to succeed in the world.”

The university’s 10 colleges, the NCSU Libraries, the Alumni Association and Arts NC State have all established goals within the six parameters of the campaign.
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Larry Nielsen told the audience, “NC State makes a broad contribution to the quality of life in North Carolina. Our undergraduate and graduate students are bright, talented and continue to earn competitive national recognition. Our faculty are dedicated to a broad range of scholarship that is relevant today and for the future.”

Private gifts raised during the campaign will enable NC State to:

• Provide scholarships and fellowships to remain affordable and accessible to deserving undergraduate, graduate, and professional students ($192 million)
• Hire, retain, and support faculty members of distinction who teach, create, and discover ($78 million)
• Fund research that will lead to new knowledge, new industries, a strong economy, and an improved quality of life for all North Carolinians ($275 million)
• Assure new and expanded programs that educate students and enable leaders to seize promising opportunities with unrestricted funds ($37 million)
• Build and improve facilities to inspire and support a talented and diverse campus community ($330 million)
• Provide additional outreach and extension programs that benefit individuals and communities across our state ($88 million)

“While some benefits of this campaign will be immediate, this fund-raising campaign will help ensure the future of NC State,” said Bob Jordan, former N.C. lieutenant governor and member of the Campaign Executive Committee. “We have established ourselves among the nation’s best public universities. By accomplishing our goals in this campaign, NC State can aspire to even higher levels of distinction.”

Proceeds from this $1 billion campaign will help solidify NC State’s reputation as a national center for learning where students and faculty are put first and where the entire community is united by a desire to excel, collaborate and achieve results relevant to life today.

In using the campaign funds wisely, priority will be given to elevating NC State’s already strong reputation for:

• Outstanding academic programs that run the gamut from agriculture and life sciences to veterinary medicine, and include the arts, business, design, education, natural resources, science, engineering, technology, the humanities and more.
• Award-winning faculty who share a passion for both teaching and achieving results – and who are dedicated to supporting active inquiry-driven scholarship as well as opportunities for learning beyond the classroom.
• Undisputed leadership in areas of study critical to the world’s future, such as biotechnology and biomedical engineering – including many disciplines that cross traditional boundaries to create new areas of specialization.
• Groundbreaking research that produces practical, life-changing innovations in such areas as public health and safety, environmental protection, education, medicine, communications and more.
• State-of-the-art facilities to house educational, athletic and social activities that unite the extended NC State community and enhance the campus experience for our students, faculty and staff, alumni, visitors and business partners.
• Responsive outreach and extension services that extend the scope of our leadership in agriculture, education, natural resources, technology and many other areas, benefiting individuals and communities across our state while spreading our influence around the world via distance learning and other innovative techniques.
• Collaboration between academia and industry based on mutually beneficial partnerships with businesses, communities and governments to create economic growth and new jobs while testing innovation and enhancing people’s lives.
• An unparalleled student experience enjoyed within a diverse learning environment that combines challenging academic programs with cultural and athletic opportunities, technology-enhanced education, financial aid and other enrichment programs to support a balanced life for individuals from all economic backgrounds.
• The ability to create leaders for the future who are globally ready and well-equipped to succeed, thanks to their curiosity, perseverance, self-confidence and compassion.

These priorities are in line with NC State’s long history of being a land-grant institution dedicated to the best interests of North Carolina and its people.

Posted Sept. 23, 2005

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