University’s Building Our Future Together Campaign Raises More Than $1.185 Billion in Gifts, Pledges

With a goal of $2 billion, the University of Pittsburgh’s capital campaign is the largest and most successful fundraising campaign in the history of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

To meet the challenges of the 21st century and to continue Pitt’s progress and momentum, the capital campaign will help the University attract more high-achieving students and faculty to its campus, retain and support outstanding faculty, and provide a nurturing learning environment that inspires discovery in all of the University’s many disciplines.

Focus areas for the campaign will include student scholarship support and financial assistance, faculty recruitment and retention, preserving campus architectural treasures, and strategic research investments.

Pitt’s capital campaign has raised in excess of $1.185 billion in gifts and pledges as of Dec. 5, 2007, with a number of noteworthy statistics that mark substantial progress since 1997.

Some highlights:

• 370 new endowed scholarship funds for a total of 787, an increase of 88 percent in the number of such funds;
• 32 new endowed fellowships for a total of 90, an increase of 55 percent in the number of such funds;
• 17 new endowed professorships for a total of 51, an increase of 50 percent in the number of such funds;
• 76 new endowed chairs for a total of 116, an increase of 190 percent in the number of such funds; and
• 528 new named miscellaneous faculty and student resource endowments used to support such activities and programs as research projects, research travel, book purchases, and student academic projects for a total of 868 of these endowments, representing an increase of 155 percent in the number of such funds.

The campaign has enjoyed broad support, attracting its current total of more than $1.185 billion from 127,124 donors. Of those donors, 71,665, or 56 percent, are alumni.