Priyanka Sharma
Staff Writer
Troy University celebrated the successful conclusion of its second “Building Beyond Boundaries” capital campaign, which has raised $258.3 million.
At an event organized on Friday, Nov. 13, it was announced that the intensive fundraiser that started in 2006 with a $200 million goal had exceeded it by over $58 million.
“This campaign was initiated because of our need for funding beyond the state and beyond tuition and fees,” Chancellor Jack Hawkins Jr. said. “It also is to show the ability to generate private funding, extramural funding, government or corporate funding that would typically not come to a university.”
The first capital campaign was initiated about 20 years ago with the goal of $18 million, which was exceeded by $4 million.
“Because of that experience of our first capital campaign that we initiated 20 years ago and the foundation that it established, we have been successful by all measures,” Hawkins said. “I appreciate this gathering as we have come together to celebrate the success.”
About $6 million was allocated as new scholarship funds to create 106 scholarships. A huge part of the fund has been and is being utilized in improving and creating new facilities around campus.
“I think this campaign has been enormously successful, as it has allowed us to create scholarships, renovate buildings, build buildings, professorships and to do so many things that we haven’t had institutional funding to do,” Hawkins said.
Some of the areas where the funds have been utilized are the renovation of Bibb Graves Hall, improvement of study abroad programs, building of the Confucius Institute, setting state-of-art equipment in the TrojanVision studios at the Hall School of Journalism and Communication, replacing the pianos in the School of Music with Steinway pianos, improving track and soccer facilities, renovation of the softball complex, renovation of the athletics administration, staff and football coaches’ offices, rebuilding of John Maloy Long Hall, building of Janice Hawkins Park, and improving and building residential halls like the Newman Center, New Hall and the fraternity houses.
Alumnus Manuel Johnson was the chair of the campaign, and alumni Earl Johnson and Harrell McKinney were the co-vice chairs.
Walter Givhan, senior vice chancellor for advancement and economic development, said that the goals were exceeded with a good margin.
“My staff in development offices is particularly focused on fundraising, but I also have an office of sponsored programs who are focused on how we get grants and sponsored programs,” Givhan said. “The traditional fundraising on one side and then the grants and sponsored programs on the other, both were part of this with $100 million goal on each side.”
It was also announced that there are now 310 members of the Troy Shield Society. This group includes individuals who have chosen to support the work of the Troy University Foundation through bequests, trusts or other deferred gifts.
The Troy University Foundation is a nonprofit that provides financial support to the university through private donations and contributions.
More than $40 million in planned gifts have been made to Troy through the Shield Society.
Hawkins said that he was proud of the success of this campaign and is ready to begin a new, similar one.
“The success is really worth celebrating tonight,” he said. “I think what we will do is simply take a breath and reload and get ready for the next campaign.”
