Amherst, MA (PRWEB) May 22, 2015 -- The $300 million UMass Rising fundraising campaign at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has exceeded its goal more than a year ahead of schedule, the UMass Amherst Foundation Board has announced.
“We have truly received exceptional and broad-based support in our drive to propel UMass Amherst to new heights,” said Robert Epstein ’67, campaign co-chair. “The $310 million that we have raised to date for the Commonwealth’s flagship campus reflects the passion and pride that our university inspires. The future is limitless when we come together in such a vital endeavor.”
UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy expressed special thanks to the UMass Rising campaign leadership headed by Epstein and fellow co-chairs Douglas Berthiaume ’71 and David Fubini ’76.
“The tireless efforts and devotion of our campaign leaders will enable our flagship campus to make a quantum leap in quality, impact and reputation that will be benefit our students and all citizens of the Commonwealth,” Subbaswamy said. “We are deeply grateful for the time and resources they have invested on our behalf.”
UMass Amherst Foundation President Richard Kelleher ’73 observed, “The power and value of a UMass education made a transformative difference in my life, and I am thankful for the opportunity to join with so many friends and professional colleagues in giving back to the university. Private support is critical to the success of a great public university, and we will build on this momentum as we enter the final year of the UMass Rising campaign.”
Subbaswamy said the campaign has been particularly successful in the areas of academic research and buildings and infrastructure. As the fundraising drive continues towards its June 30, 2016 end date, it will focus on three priorities: student scholarships, faculty endowments and restoration of the Old Chapel. “We are particularly focused on increasing financial aid availability for underrepresented and first-generation students,” said the chancellor. “Meeting our goal will allow all qualified students to realize their dreams of attending the University of Massachusetts, regardless of socio-economic background.”
Endowed faculty positions are an important tool for universities as they seek to recruit highly talented scholars. As one of the top publics in the country and the flagship campus of the Commonwealth, the university is committed to increasing its faculty endowments to remain competitive and continue its current upward trajectory.
Funds to renovate the iconic Old Chapel will restore it to a central place in daily campus life. As one of the historic structures dating to the university’s beginnings as Massachusetts Agricultural College, a fully restored Old Chapel will celebrate both the past and future of the university.
Formally launched in April 2013 as part of UMass Amherst’s sesquicentennial celebration, UMass Rising is the campus’s most successful fundraising effort in its 152-year history.
Ed Blaguszewski, UMass Amherst, +1 4135450444, [email protected]
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