Duke closes out massive fund drive at $3.85B

Duke University has concluded its largest fundraising campaign in history, going beyond its initial goal of $3.25 billion by collecting $3.85 billion from more than 315,000 donors and foundations, officials said Wednesday.

Posted 4:16 p.m. Aug 9, 2017 — Updated 4:16 p.m. Aug 9, 2017

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke University has concluded its largest fundraising campaign in history, going beyond its initial goal of $3.25 billion by collecting $3.85 billion from more than 315,000 donors and foundations, officials said Wednesday.

The Duke Forward campaign, which began on July 1, 2010, and ended on June 30, benefited all 10 of Duke’s graduate and undergraduate schools, Duke Athletics, Duke Libraries, Duke Health and a range of university-wide initiatives and programs.

"Duke Forward will empower the next generation of students and faculty to advance ideas and solve complex global challenges," Vincent Price, who became Duke’s 10th president on July 1, said in a statement. "This is an incredible accomplishment to inherit, and I am grateful to my predecessors, to our development staff and, most importantly, to our donors, whose tremendous investment makes it possible for Duke students and faculty to innovate, engage and improve our world."

The campaign funded priorities from financial aid and faculty development to patient care and hands-on learning opportunities for students. Donors also helped advance interdisciplinary research, innovation and entrepreneurship, the arts, energy, global health and the environment.

"Every aspect of Duke’s academic mission has been touched by this campaign," Provost Sally Kornbluth, the university’s chief academic officer, said in a statement. "It has made possible our ability to continue the delivery of novel, innovative teaching and learning programs and to provide the resources necessary to drive cutting-edge research by our faculty."

Following are some of the programs funded by the campaign:

$473 million for financial aid and fellowships
594 new scholarship and fellowship endowments
85 new endowed faculty chairs, visiting professorships and professors of the practice
Established Bass Connections, an interdisciplinary program that bridges the classroom and the real world, giving students a chance to work with faculty to address complex societal problems
Started the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative to support innovation and thought leadership by students, faculty and alumni
$90 million in new funding for the Global Health Initiative
Founded the Information Initiative at Duke as a center for big data work
Increased DukeEngage endowment funding to support the university’s signature service learning program
Created the Urbaniak Sports Sciences Institute and the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy
Significant investments in basic and clinical research, notably in the areas of cancer, cardiology, neurobiology and neurodegenerative diseases, ophthalmology, and cellular therapies

The campaign also transformed Duke's physical campus through the following new construction and upgrades:

A new 71,000-square-foot arts center for rehearsal, performance, video production and classroom instruction
A new home for the Nicholas School of the Environment
Repairs to the stained-glass windows, ceiling and roof of Duke Chapel
Improvements to Wallace Wade Stadium, an expansion of Cameron Indoor Stadium and the creation of the Morris Williams Track and Field Stadium, the Scott Family Pavilion and Athletics Center and the Blue Devil Tower
Renovations to Perkins, Bostock and Rubenstein libraries
Renovations to Baldwin and Page auditoriums
The construction of three buildings and the restoration of a historic home that will collectively be called the Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center

Duke Forward was Duke’s first university-wide campaign since the Campaign for Duke, which ended in 2003 and raised $2.36 billion.

"We are thrilled to have exceeded our fundraising goal, but this campaign isn’t just about the dollar goal. It’s about the people the dollars support and how they turn big ideas into real solutions," Robert Shepard, vice president for alumni affairs and development, said in a statement.

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