College of William and Mary President Gene R. Nichol has announced that the Campaign for William and Mary has surpassed its half-billion-dollar goal—the largest fundraising effort in the history of the College—six months ahead of schedule. As of Dec. 31, 2006, the College had raised $502.7 million toward the Campaign, a seven-year initiative scheduled to close on June 30, 2007, Nichol announced Friday to the William and Mary Board of Visitors.

“Reaching this milestone reminds us, unambiguously, that none love more, care more, or are more powerfully committed to the cause of their College than the alumni and friends of William and Mary,” said Nichol. “Again and again they answer the College’s call to invest in our exceptional students and faculty — who continue, always, to press the boundaries of academic excellence. I join President Tim Sullivan, the Campaign’s inspiration and prime steward, in pride and gratitude beyond ready description.”

As of December’s end, 58,303 alumni, parents, friends, foundations and corporations had contributed to the Campaign, supporting virtually all areas of College life from scholarships to professorships to research to the construction of new facilities. Such gifts, pledges and deferred commitments will not only make a long-term difference but are having an immediate impact across campus, officials said.

“Many of these gifts are already hard at work,” said William and Mary Rector Michael K. Powell ’85. “Thanks to our College family’s commitment to the Campaign, William and Mary will come ever closer to having the resources that its excellent students and faculty deserve.”

The Campaign, initiated by Nichol’s predecessor, President Timothy J. Sullivan, was announced in February 2003 with a goal more than double any previous William and Mary fundraising effort.

“The audacious campaign goal reflects Tim’s unrelenting pursuit of William and Mary’s excellence in all things,” Nichol said. “Few in the College’s history have so ably advanced its cause, and his leadership will be long remembered in commitments that will shape this campus for generations to come.

“Reaching our goal ahead of schedule is also a powerful tribute to the hard work and generosity of many alumni and friends — most notably our Campaign chair, Jim Murray, and the leaders serving on our Campaign Steering and National Campaign committees,” Nichol said.

Alumni and friends have contributed more than $101.2 million for academic, athletic and research student scholarships, $43.3 million for faculty support, and $57.8 million for facilities. Several of the new or renovated facilities appearing across campus are benefiting from Campaign funding, including Alan B. Miller Hall, the Integrated Science Center and the Lake Matoaka Amphitheater.
In addition, the Campaign has raised $75.9 million in unrestricted annual funds, which play a major part in the College’s budget and allow William and Mary and its various constituent schools and programs to address their most immediate needs. According to Nichol, such expendable funds “fuel the entire College, allowing us to address opportunities when and where we find them.”
The College’s total endowment has grown by more than $109 million during the course of the Campaign. To date, Campaign donors have established 255 new endowments and another 62 through deferred commitments.

“The Campaign is really an investment in the present and future of this great institution — it is an investment in our people, programs and places,” said Vice President for University Development Sean M. Pieri. “Support for faculty and student research, like the recent grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, is bringing the excitement of discovery to the classroom. New scholarships and professorships, such as the Pavey Family Chair for Educational Technology, are allowing us to recruit and retain some of the very best faculty and students. Funds for first-rate academic and extracurricular programs and state-of-the-art buildings also make a daily difference.”

Campus leaders who have been involved with the effort are pleased to reach this important mark but reiterate that the Campaign is not over until June 30, the end of the fiscal year. During that time and beyond, they look forward to raising even more funds to ensure that the College fully reaches all of its individual Campaign priorities, officials said.

“We are very pleased by the amazing results of the Campaign thus far,” said Campaign Chair James B. Murray Jr., J.D. ’74, LL.D. ’00. “But there is definitely more to do in terms of need-based and merit scholarships, faculty support, facilities and unrestricted support.”
Murray anticipates excitement in the final months as the College seeks to make sure that everyone who wants to participate in the Campaign is able to do so.

“This is a wonderful part of the process, where everyone can join in, no matter the size of their gift,” Murray said. “I am confident that with so many loyal alumni and friends dedicated to making the College one of the best schools in the nation, we will finish the Campaign with strong momentum, thus launching the next great phase of William and Mary’s history.”