Indiana University’s first university- wide philanthropic campaign

by Belinda Allen
October 3, 2015

Indiana University launched the public phase of its first-ever university-wide philanthropic campaign with a donor event Sept. 26 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. For All: The Indiana University Bicentennial Campaign has set a record goal of $2.5 billion to be raised by 2020.

“The bold goals of the bicentennial campaign, which are the most ambitious in Indiana University's history and among the largest ever by a public university, will set Indiana University on the course for greatness in its third century," said IU President Michael A. McRobbie. "Built on our strategic priorities, this unprecedented undertaking will fulfill IU’s promise to change the way we live through path-breaking research, innovative academic programs, unparalleled international engagement and an accessible and exceptionally valuable education."

To date, the campaign has raised nearly $1.2 billion with the participation of almost 204,000 donors, McRobbie said.

The For All campaign will support four broad university priorities that reflect the central goals of The Bicentennial Strategic Plan for Indiana University, approved by IU trustees last year. The priorities are:

  •  Enabling student success and support
  • Creating the next generation of global leaders
  • Recruiting and retaining the best and most creative faculty who will lead the discoveries and innovations that transform how we live
  • Creating a healthier state, nation, and world

Support for the campaign will help provide scholarships that keep an IU education affordable for greater numbers of students and enable them to graduate with as little debt as possible. It will also enable overseas study and global academic programs, career development, diversity and community service initiatives, faculty professorships and chairs, research infrastructure, patient care innovations and public health advancements on all IU campuses.

Larry Richards, Interim Vice Chancellor and Dean of Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus, said that “while I have only been at IUPUC three months now, I have already seen first-hand how much impact the enthusiastic and dedicated support of a community can make on the well-being of a campus and the success of its students. The unprecedented IU-wide campaign just announced publicly on Saturday represents an opportunity for IUPUC to take the next step, perhaps even a leap, in its remarkable progress to date.” Richards added that “the connections between IUPUC and the community in Columbus and the surrounding region has provided a model of local public higher education at the bachelor’s and master’s degree level that has received national attention. IUPUC would not have been created and would not be still flourishing without the support of the community, and there are many great things still to happen!”

The For All campaign is IU's first true "university-wide" philanthropic campaign. All proceeds will ensure IU continues its growth and further cements its position as one of the great public research universities of the world.