What is the Campaign for Arcadia University?
What is the meaning of the Campaign’s theme?
At Home & In the World represents both the focus of the Campaign — improving our “home campus” in Glenside — and the University’s role in preparing students for success in the world. This success is evident through our global focus as well as our commitment to community service that became a tradition at Beaver College and continues at Arcadia University.
Why is the Campaign necessary?
The increased diversity, depth and excellence of our academic programs are the reasons why we changed from a college to a university in 2001. Our University stature has contributed to increased student enrollment — quadrupling since 1985 — and our ranking among the best comprehensive universities in the North by U.S. News &World Report. To respond to this growth and better position the University for the future, an intensive and rigorous strategic planning process was conducted to identify the University’s most urgent needs.The results include capital projects (the University Commons, a new Academic Center, student housing and campus improvements), increasing our endowments to continue to attract and retain the best faculty and students, and enhancing our Annual Fund, which allows the University to do more for every student.
How much will these projects cost and how will we pay for them?
Our award-winning campus master plan has identified more than $60 million in capital projects alone. As with past campaigns for Landman Library and Kuch Center, these new facilities will transform the University. Increasing our endowments will enable us to attract motivated and deserving students, as well as to recruit and retain professors who inspire their students to explore, learn, grow and become productive citizens.
A major portion of our capital expenses is being met with a bond offering…yet to fully implement our plans we must raise at least $23.5 million in charitable gifts.
What gives you confidence that the campaign will succeed?
University trustees, alumni and other supporters have long recognized the critical need for projects such as the new University Commons. Yet the ambitious funding target is more than twice the size of any previous campaign in our history. In an early vote of confidence, trustees have given more than $8 million or one-third of our Campaign’s funding targets, within the first months of the effort.Alumni have long been distinguished with their philanthropy, placing the University in the top 10 percent of all U.S. colleges for alumni Annual Fund participation. We’re anticipating that alumni and other friends will continue to make the University a top philanthropic priority during the Campaign. This fall,we also will be approaching faculty, staff and other friends of the University who are among our best supporters.
