|
|
2005
Faculty and Staff CONVOCATION |
|
|
|
 |
CELEBRATING CAPITAL CAMPAIGN MILESTONES There is so much you are achieving. And, it is customary at this point for a Chancellor to run through the highlights of the year. I have pages of bullets that could be shared. But, I told you, I am departing from the customary remarks today. I have done so already in speaking about the political milieu. I want to get on to our agenda for the years ahead. And so, rather than provide an overview of what was accomplished last year, I will look in some depth at the success stories in one small area of UWGB's many outstanding undertakings: our Capital Campaign and philanthropic support. A little over five years ago, you did not know me and I did not know you. But, I was invited to apply for the privilege of serving you as your chancellor and, in my letter of application, I said, "the secret of successful fundraising is to create an institution irresistibly worthy of support." Well, we are experiencing philanthropic support the likes of which UWGB has never before achieved. That is because of you. A campus is not buildings or acreage. It is people and you make UWGB irresistibly worthy of support. The strength of the Campaign has a lot to do with our Founders Association annual-giving program. We've seen across-the-board increases... from alumni, employees and community friends. • The University had 374 more people make annual gifts to the Founders Association than in 2003-04, a robust 25 percent increase. • Community donor support increased by 40 percent which resulted in a 4 percent increase in financial support over 2003-04. • Alumni Campaign support to the Founders increased by 23 percent in total donors and by 9 percent in gift revenue. • The Employee Drive segment of the Founders annual-giving program experienced a 16 percent increase in donors and a 14 percent increase in financial support over 2003-04. (Note that the percentage increase in donors is always greater than the increase in dollars. Anyone understanding philanthropy will tell you that that is good news, precisely what should be happening as a program reaches out to bring in new friends. As those new friends become closer over the years, dollar increases will then outstrip donor increases.) I'll mention also The Phoenix Fund, the philanthropic support group for the Athletics program, which experienced its best year ever as it raised $380,000. Turning to your Capital Campaign per se, much of the initial effort was focused upon what, from the first day I got here, has been our students' top facilities priority: an event center. It is a matter of the quality of student life. And, our students clearly saw it that way, taxing themselves with the highest SEG fees in the System in order to have a facility for concerts, commencements, intramurals, working out, and such. They, and we, also know the importance of having good health, exercise, and recreation facilities if we are to attract and retain the best academic students, whatever their major. We worked hard and successfully to obtain state support of $7.5M. It came with a string attached: We had to raise $7.5M by last December 31st. Because of the extraordinary generosity of this community, we fulfilled that requirement in less than a year. In order to build a facility fully responsive to the needs of our campus and its students, we need, actually, to raise $10M. Today, I am pleased to announce that we are significantly above $9M and there is every indication we will smash right through our ultimate target by the time we break ground this November. It has been an amazingly successful effort: • 20 individual gifts of at least $100,000 - from individuals, businesses, foundations. • For several of these donors, their pledges more than doubled their previous largest gifts to any local cause. • Almost all the philanthropic support has been local, coming from the Brown County area. • The leadership gift from the Kress family, one of whom I will note is a UWGB alum, is, of course, something we will have the pleasure of honoring at groundbreaking. I don't believe our campus will fully realize what this project really means for all of us until fall 2007, when the Kress Events Center opens. About tripling the size of the current facility, you and our students will have full access to a 14,000-square-foot workout and wellness facility, an elevated running track, and an event center that will seat 4,000 for athletic competition and 5,000 for campus, cultural, and community events. |
|
I
will announce one other "bricks and mortar" campaign success.
Lambeau Cottage occupies a beautiful location on our campus, right on the
Bay. As the Philosophy program pioneered while waiting for completion of
Mary Ann Cofrin Hall, it is an ideal site for programs to gather for academic
encounters, for student organizations to hold functions, and for community
groups to enjoy. The locally significant cottage, though, had fallen into
disrepair, handicapped access was a major problem, and there were serious
needs for upgrades throughout. One of our alums, Mr. Craig Mueller, has
stepped forward to make the full upgrade possible including not only the
Cottage but the creation of an outdoor and environmental education area
on the grounds. I think all on campus will find this to be a great site
for retreats, for special events and seminars, for collegial functions,
and such. Enough on bricks and mortar. On the academic side - support for scholarships, professorships, chairs, speaker series, and the like - our needs and our ambitions are greater. Our target is $15M. The Events Center took initial attention because of that state deadline. But, as the community so quickly and so generously stepped forward for the Events Center, we were able to shift effort to the critical academic side sooner than we had thought possible. It is with great pleasure this morning that I am able to announce some early and major successes. Our first success, already announced, was the creation of UWGB's first fully endowed chair supported by a seven-figure gift from Mrs. Dorothy Blair and the Blair Foundation. This morning, I am pleased to announce that the first John P. Blair Endowed Professor of Communications will be... Dr. Timothy Meyer. We will invest and honor Dr. Meyer this winter at commencement and, we expect, with Mrs. Blair present. Tim, please stand. There is more. UWGB entered this year with five named professorships. Provost Hammersmith and I have the privilege to meet with the nominees for these competitively awarded professorships, to consider their ambitious plans for utilizing the support that comes with a professorship, and to make the tough decisions on who receives the awards. I feel these are the most important tools currently available to our campus for recognizing, maintaining, and continually assuring the "margin of excellence" for our academic programs. Five we have. It has been nearly two decades since creation of a new one. Today, our professorship portfolio takes a great leap forward as we expand our ability to support the work of outstanding faculty. • First comes the enhancement of the Hendrickson Professorship. While it's not a new professorship, it is a new gift... a significant addition to the endowment of the Philip J. and Elizabeth B. Hendrickson Professorship that will greatly magnify its impact. While our great friends, Phil and Betsy Hendrickson, could not be here this morning, I did promise them that we would be showing our thanks for their generosity. Please join me in thanking the Hendricksons with our applause. • There is more. Dr. David and Mary Ann Cofrin, this University's long-time dear friends, have made a pledge to support a new professorship in management, interdisciplinarily defined. Please join me in applauding their generosity. • My next announcement involves the double generosity of a Green Bay couple devoted to serving campus and community, often quietly and behind the scenes. They asked that this announcement also be quiet. But, we have the honor of their presence here this morning. I am pleased to announce that Fred and Patricia Baer have agreed to establish two new professorships: one in education, one in business. We thank them for their extraordinary investment in our academic endeavor. Please join me in showing our appreciation not just for the gift but also for the values and commitments that define Fred and Patricia as very special human beings. With today's announcements, we stand at $3.1M in gifts to the Phase II academic side of the Campaign. To put that number in context, it is still a long ways from our intentionally ambitious goal on the academic side; raised in one year, though, it approximately doubles the total endowment for UWGB professorships, scholarships, and the like raised over the preceding 39 years. You have heard me preach it over and over: Communities support universities that support communities. Have they ever! Finally, I wish to recognize the tireless efforts of our two volunteer Capital Campaign co-chairs: Tom Olson and Ginny Riopelle. They work close to full time and much of the success we celebrate today is because of their leadership, dedication, and the respect they have in the community. To this, I would add one other respected community volunteer who has dedicated so much time to the day-to-day grind of a campaign: Mr. Mike Meeuwsen. I ask that Tom, Ginny, and Mike stand so that we can express our gratitude with our applause. |
| CONTINUED |
| TOP
OF PAGE Office of the Chancellor, David A Cofrin Library, Suite 810, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 2420 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 Phone: 920-465-2207 E-mail: shepardb@uwgb.edu Comments to: Chancellor's Web Manager Revised: 03/02/2006 |