{"id":228855,"date":"2025-04-25T13:00:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T17:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=228855"},"modified":"2025-04-25T13:03:58","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T17:03:58","slug":"uconn-launches-largest-campaign-in-university-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2025\/04\/uconn-launches-largest-campaign-in-university-history\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Launches Largest Campaign in University History"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The University of Connecticut announced Thursday that it has raised more than $720 million in a $1.5 billion fundraising campaign, the most ambitious in the University\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<p>The multi-year \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foundation.uconn.edu\/\">Because of UConn<\/a>\u201d Campaign is comprehensive, spanning all schools, colleges, campuses, and UConn Health. The campaign focuses on four pillars:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Students First: making transformative investments in financial aid, student health, career\u00a0readiness, and life skills to improve time-to-degree and career outcomes.<\/li>\n<li>Academic &amp; Innovation Excellence: driving investment in top faculty and graduate fellows and building the innovation ecosystem of the state and beyond.<\/li>\n<li>Health &amp; Wellness of People &amp; Planet: focusing on patient care, medical research, and the development of life-changing technologies that improve health care outcomes.<\/li>\n<li>Husky Pride: investing in athletic excellence and supporting a thriving UConn Nation that includes more than 290,000 alumni worldwide.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>UConn President Radenka Maric unveiled the campaign at a kickoff event on Wednesday, April 23 at UConn Avery Point. \u201cThis ambitious campaign is fully aligned with a strategic plan that will lead the way to a bigger, brighter, bolder UConn,\u201d says Maric. \u201cIt supports students to help them excel in the classroom and post-graduation. &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foundation.uconn.edu\/\">Because of UConn<\/a>&#8216; elevates our academic standing and fuels groundbreaking research that moves Connecticut and the world forward. It asks our donors and alumni to invest in a healthier world and our continued excellence in D1 sports.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_228931\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-228931\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-228931 img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a250-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Governor Ned Lamont speaks at a podium while UConn President Radenka Maric stands behind him.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a250-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a250-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a250-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a250-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a250-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a250-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a250-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a250-998x665.jpg 998w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/200;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-228931\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Governor Ned Lamont speaks during the Because of UConn campaign event at the Avery Point campus on April 23, 2025. At left is President Radenka Maric (Peter Morenus\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The campaign is by far UConn\u2019s largest and most ambitious to date. The momentum of the campaign has sparked the strongest start to a fundraising year ever, up more than 76% compared to this time last year.<\/p>\n<p>The campaign pillars support <a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2023\/12\/uconn-adopts-ambitious-10-year-strategic-plan\/\">UConn\u2019s 10-year Strategic Plan<\/a>, designed to make an education more affordable and a UConn degree more valuable by elevating UConn among its national peers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Putting Students First\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The campaign\u2019s top priority is to bolster UConn\u2019s academic mission to create opportunities for our students, including more than 8,550 who are the first in their families to attend college.<\/p>\n<p>The campaign will support efforts to improve student retention and graduation rates. Investing in student success will help UConn reach its goal of increasing its six-year graduation rate from 83% to 90% by 2030, with a particular focus on first-generation students.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Research Excellence\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As a world-class research institution, UConn encourages students and faculty to ask big questions and find solutions to pressing problems from biotech to advanced manufacturing to advance the Connecticut and national economy. The campaign will help the University provide fellowships for much-needed graduate researchers, help recruit and retain top faculty, and invest in lifesaving and world-changing research at more than 80 centers and 100 state-of-the-art STEM facilities on campus. UConn boasts nearly 300 scientists who are in the top 2% of researchers investigating everything from cancer to AI.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_228932\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-228932\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-228932 size-medium img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a634-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Emeka Okafor holds a microphone and gestures while speaking.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a634-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a634-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a634-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a634-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a634-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a634-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a634-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a634-998x665.jpg 998w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/200;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-228932\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">UConn basketball great Emeka Okafor &#8217;04 (BUS) speaks during the Because of UConn campaign event at the Avery Point campus on April 23, 2025. (Peter Morenus\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It will also invest in UConn\u2019s athletic programs and the health and financial literacy of student-athletes, including the men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball teams, which have brought home three consecutive NCAA National Championship trophies in the last three years. UConn is proud to have 26 national championships across all sports.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Leading the Way to a New Era<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The quiet phase of the campaign has been led by some of the University\u2019s most generous lifetime donors, whose significant support has set the pace for this effort, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Over $52 million from Elisabeth DeLuca &#8217;69 (NUR) to build a new state-of-the-art nursing facility at UConn to innovate in the field of nursing and address a statewide nursing shortage.<\/li>\n<li>$46.5 million from Peter J. Werth to establish a legacy of innovation and entrepreneurship by creating an institute that empowers students and faculty to transform ideas into impactful ventures that fuel economic growth and opportunity. Werth has also been generous in his support of UConn student-athletes and their championship pursuits.<\/li>\n<li>Over $25 million from alumni Denis &#8217;76 (BUS) &#8217;77 MBA and Britta Nayden &#8217;76 (BUS) who have supported initiatives across the University, with a strong focus on student success. Their generosity has helped launch programming in the School of Business, expand scholarship support, and, more recently, advance initiatives in student athlete financial literacy, mental health, and wellness.<\/li>\n<li>$15 million from Trisha Bailey &#8217;99 (CLAS) &#8217;23(HON) to transform student-athlete support by establishing a world-class facility that advances academic achievement, mental and physical wellness, and athletic excellence.<\/li>\n<li>Over $11 million from Toni Boucher &#8217;02 MBA, marked by a lead gift to establish the Boucher Management &amp; Entrepreneurship Department, empowering students across disciplines to launch innovative ventures, drive economic growth, and honor the entrepreneurial legacy of her late husband, Bud.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Corporations, including Eversource, Synchrony, Travelers, The Hartford, RTX, Stanley Black &amp; Decker, and Bank of America, have been philanthropically generous in supporting students through scholarships, programming, as well as providing job opportunities.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_228933\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-228933\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-228933 size-medium img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a572-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Bruce Liang and Anne D'Alleva stand together at a podium.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a572-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a572-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a572-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a572-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a572-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a572-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a572-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Campaign_250423a572-998x665.jpg 998w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/200;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-228933\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bruce Liang, dean of UConn School of Medicine, and Provost Ann D&#8217;Alleva speak at the Because of UConn campaign event at the Avery Point campus on April 23, 2025. (Peter Morenus\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>\u201c&#8217;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foundation.uconn.edu\/\">Because of UConn<\/a>&#8216; will have a profound impact on the University. It will double the number of named scholarships, fund scientific breakthroughs and advanced lifesaving therapies, and engage UConn Nation in the life and mission of the University like never before\u201d says Amy Yancey, President and CEO of the UConn Foundation. \u201cWe are so grateful for the generous support of alumni and friends of the University who are investing in UConn to ensure a thriving Connecticut and success for future generations of Huskies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other campaign objectives include growing the endowment; increasing the number of donors; and increasing engagement touchpoints with UConn alumni and supporters through events, giving, social media and storytelling during the campaign timeframe.<\/p>\n<p>The campaign is led by volunteer alumni co-chairs Toni Boucher, Rich and Joyce Eldh, Doug and Sheila Elliot, and Board of Trustees Chair Dan Toscano. The Eldhs have been generous supporters of full scholarships for students from Bridgeport and the Elliots have been generous across many programs, including Elliot Ballpark, home to the UConn baseball team; the Toscanos, longtime supporters of UConn, have invested in scholarships, faculty, innovative programming such as Hillside Ventures, and UConn Athletics. Honorary co-chairs include Vlad Coric, Denis Nayden, Molly Qerim and Peter Werth. They\u2019re among the more than 30 members of the campaign committee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ambitious $1.5B &#8216;Because of UConn&#8217; Campaign puts students first in four-pillar mission <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":228929,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,2472,2235,173,92,174,2225,90,2227,2233],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[1902],"class_list":["post-228855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-gifts-donors","category-today-homepage","category-uconn-avery-point","category-uconn-hartford","category-uconn-stamford","category-uconn-storrs","category-uconn-waterbury","category-uconn-edu-homepage","category-university-news"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-05 20:34:20","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228855"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228855\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":228935,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228855\/revisions\/228935"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/228929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228855"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=228855"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=228855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}