UMass surpasses $300 million campaign goal

UMass surpasses $300 million campaign goal
UMass surpasses $300 million campaign goal | Courtesy of Shutterstock
The UMass Rising Campaign, the University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation's largest philanthropic campaign in the history of Massachusetts public higher education, has raised $379 million for the commonwealth flagship campus, surpassing the $300 million goal that had been set at the campaign's outset.

More than 103,000 donors contributed to the campaign. The five largest gifts in university history were received during this campaign, which included $108 million raised for the university's permanent endowment.

"Through the success of UMass Rising, we will support our faculty and students while creating a world-class environment," UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said. "We will build on our new culture of philanthropy and inspire the next generation to come forward in continued support of the university."

The UMass Rising Campaign attracted close to 44,000 new donors to the university, including many parents of UMass Amherst students.

The campaign was particularly successful in raising funds for academic and research programs. The university raised $164 million for academic and research programs, which is $67 million more than the goal. In addition, more than 24 new permanent professorships were established to recruit and retain faculty leaders at the flagship campus. 

The campaign, which began in 2010, entered its public phase on April 29, 2013, with $183 million raised. In 2015, the university announced that the $300 million mark had been surpassed more than a year ahead of schedule.

The campaign officially closed June 30, 2016.