UWF raises over $39M, none for maritime museum

Press Release: University of West Florida exceeds fundraising goal, raises $39 million

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The most ambitious capital campaign in the history of the University of West Florida (UWF) closed on Dec. 31, surpassing its fundraising goal by more than $4 million and totaling more than $39.2 million.

With the support of more than 17,000 donors, the Creating Great Futures campaign exceeded its original goal of $35 million. More than 11,000 people contributed to UWF for the first time during the campaign.

“More than 17,000 donations over the past six years made the Creating Great Futures campaign the most successful fundraising campaign in the history of the University of West Florida,” said President Judith A. Bense. “Not only has the campaign been successful in terms of dollars raised, but more importantly in terms of the impact it has had on our students, faculty, staff and the greater Northwest Florida region.”

The campaign focused on raising scholarship support for UWF students and enhancing facilities and resources to provide those students with a high-quality education. Notable achievements of the Creating Great Futures campaign include:

* Science, Engineering & Technology: Gulf Power Foundation, Inc. pledged a $200,000 grant to purchase training equipment for UWF’s Electrical Engineering Power Lab, representing one of the largest gifts in support of UWF’s School of Science and Engineering.
* Healthcare: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida gifted $600,000 toward an endowment to create a master of science in nursing (MSN) program at UWF. The Agency for Workforce Innovation estimates an additional 878 registered nurses will be needed in Northwest Florida, an increase of 3 percent annually until 2012. The MSN program will be a key step in addressing this shortage of nurses in the region.
* All-Steinway School designation: Helen Wentworth, in honor of her late husband Warren, committed to purchasing 18 new Steinway grand pianos and uprights to earn UWF the designation of an All-Steinway School, placing UWF’s Department of Music among such esteemed institutions as The Juilliard School, Yale University and the Oberlin College Conservatory.

In all, more than 147,700 gifts were made, with six being $1 million or greater and 54 commitments of $100,000 or greater. The campaign created 46 new endowments and led to $6.8 million in scholarship awards, with $1.6 million awarded to first-generation students.

“The campaign reached its fundraising goal 13 months ahead of schedule, in November 2009, thanks to the generosity of our alumni and friends and support from area businesses and foundations,” said Kyle Marrero, vice president of university advancement. “We are overwhelmingly grateful for the broad base of support for UWF, especially during such trying economic times.”