UT Raises the “Quality and Breadth” of the UT Experience in Campaign

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The University of Tampa announced its second-ever comprehensive capital campaign, "Creating Tomorrow – The Campaign for The University of Tampa," to 280 guests at a donor appreciation dinner tonight in the Vaughn Center on campus.

The $150 million capital campaign seeks to grow the University’s endowment, build new facilities and support academic programs, faculty and student scholarships.

University President Ronald Vaughn described the new campaign as “a bold step to raise the quality and breadth of education at UT.”

“UT has grown exponentially in reputation, student selectivity and financial stability,” Vaughn said. “This campaign is focused on building on these strengths and launching new initiatives that will prepare UT students to succeed in a complex, technologically advanced global society.”

The campaign will ultimately reinforce UT’s place as a model, metropolitan university and provide students with an excellent academic and co-curricular experience, Vaughn said.

The campaign seeks funding for construction of the new Fitness Center, which has already begun, as well as new buildings for graduate, health studies, science and technology programs.

Vaughn also announced that an anonymous UT benefactor has issued the Spartan Challenge — a pledge to give $1 for every $2 raised, up to $10 million. This means, for example, if a donor makes a $1,000 gift, it will be matched with an additional $500 for a total of $1,500. All gifts made during the public phase will qualify for the match.

Tonight’s dinner marks the transition from the silent phase to the public phase. With the campaign now public and a total of $135 million raised to date, Vaughn announced the University’s goal of $150 million.

During the silent phase of the campaign, several buildings have already been constructed thanks to large leadership level gifts, including the Martinez Athletics Center, the Schoomaker ROTC and Athletics Building, the Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values, the Dickey Health and Wellness Center, Jenkins Hall and the Naimoli Family Athletic and Intramural Complex.

“Creating Tomorrow” is the university’s largest fundraising campaign in its nearly 85 year history. The last campaign, which was the University’s first and began in the late 1990s and ended in 2005, totaled $84 million.

Since the last campaign, UT’s enrollment has grown by 77 percent, the academic programs have increased from 80 to 200, and UT has upped its institutional aid to students by 139 percent (from $23 million to $55 million).

For more information, contact Dan Gura, vice president of the capital campaign, at (813) 253-6277 or dgura@ut.edu.