Campaign Arkansas Poised for Strong Finish Thanks to FY19 Fundraising

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Students benefit from gifts to Campaign Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The penultimate year of Campaign Arkansas was another strong fundraising year at the University of Arkansas, with $163.4 million raised, surpassing the fiscal year 2019 goal of $125.6 million. The funding supports students, faculty and staff, as well as capital improvements and programs, and brings the campaign’s overall total to $1.11 billion. More than 52,000 benefactors contributed 101,253 outright gifts and new pledges during the fiscal year.

“We continue to see outstanding support from our donors and friends, who not only realize how important philanthropy is to enhancing the University of Arkansas experience, but are committed to advancing our vision,” said Chancellor Joe Steinmetz. “I’d like to thank each and every person, corporation and foundation who has invested in our future. Over the next year, we’ll continue to prioritize the resources and facilities needed for the success of our students. These initiatives are important to ensuring more Arkansans can graduate from the state’s flagship.”

The amount raised in fiscal year 2019 includes gifts of cash, gifts-in-kind, planned gifts and new pledges received from July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019. Approximately $17.8 million was directed by donors to be used as endowment when received.

Support for student scholarships and academic programs accounted for 31 percent of the money raised. Advance Arkansas, a scholarship initiative launched in 2017 to provide financial assistance for high school graduates from Arkansas, continues to be a priority, garnering $6.5 million in support since its inception.

Capital improvements received 39 percent of the funds raised in fiscal year 2019, while other key initiatives received another 18 percent.

Allocations for faculty and staff support accounted for the remaining 12 percent. Faculty support, often in the form of endowed chairs, professorships or fellowships, is critical to recruiting and retaining high-quality faculty for the university and ensures students have the opportunity to learn from and conduct research with the nation’s best.

Jorge Almodovar, for example, leads a polymetric biomaterials lab at the U of A that uses natural polymer-based materials in pursuit of methods to regenerate damaged nerves and repair tissue.

Almodovar came to the university in 2018 from the University of Puerto Rico and holds the Ray C. Adam Chair in Chemical Engineering. Thanks to his endowed chair, he can offer student stipends to help in his discoveries, travel to conferences and pay for the materials and equipment needed for his lab.

“The University of Arkansas has the necessary infrastructure to foster my research,” Almodovar said. “I have the facilities I need, and I’ve formed collaborative relationships with faculty in other colleges.

“It makes a significant difference to have this support,” he said. “To be successful in research, you have to have an investment. And this investment encourages me to do my best work.”

Gifts from individuals, such as alumni, friends, parents, faculty and staff, made up 16 percent of the $163.4 million raised during the 2019 fiscal year. Another 35 percent came from corporations, while 40 percent came from foundations and 9 percent came from other organizations, including trusts and estates. All private gifts to the university are designated and allocated for specific purposes set forth by each donor and used solely for those purposes. The university makes every effort to align donors’ giving interests with campus priorities.

Cash receipts, which include pledge payments, outright gifts and estate and planned giving distributions, reached $151.8 million in fiscal year 2019.

Bill Dillard, a graduate of the university’s Sam M. Walton College of Business and chairman and chief executive officer of Dillard’s Inc., led Campaign Arkansas as chair during fiscal year 2019.

“It has been a pleasure leading the campaign efforts this year,” Dillard said. “We surpassed the original $1 billion goal last fall and haven’t looked back. Alumni and friends from across the world are making gifts of all sizes in support of Campaign Arkansas. The confidence, enthusiasm and dedication shown to the university is outstanding. The campaign may end next year, but the impact and energy it created will continue on for many years to come.”

About Campaign Arkansas: Campaign Arkansas is the ongoing capital campaign for the University of Arkansas to raise private gift support for the university’s academic mission and other key priorities. The campaign’s goal is to raise $1.25 billion to support academic and need-based scholarships, technology enhancements, new and renovated facilities, undergraduate, graduate and faculty research, study abroad opportunities and other innovative programs. The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in a wide spectrum of disciplines as it works to fulfill its public land-grant mission to serve Arkansas and beyond as a partner, resource and catalyst.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 2.7 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.