Dr. Kimo Ah Yun, acting president, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, announced today that the university’s comprehensive fundraising campaign, Time to Rise: The Marquette Promise to Be The Difference, surpassed $800 million in funds raised. The bold, eight-year campaign exceeded its $750 million goal and elevated resources across the university to advance the university’s mission and pillars of excellence, faith, leadership and service. More than 71,000 donors in Time to Rise contributed $801.7 million in gifts and confirmed pledges, including 53% first-ever donors to Marquette.
With a central objective to expand and enrich student opportunities, Time to Rise generated more than $313 million in scholarship contributions (39% of total campaign funds) — resulting in 436 new scholarships.
In his final Presidential Address in January, the late President Michael R. Lovell reflected on the most ambitious campaign in Marquette’s 143-year-history and challenged the university to stretch and “put an eight in front of the final number.”
“This is yet another remarkable tribute to Dr. Lovell’s leadership and his ability to boldly inspire our Marquette community around the world,” Acting President Ah Yun said. “We are incredibly grateful to our alumni, parents and friends for their passionate support to drive our Catholic, Jesuit mission forward, and for fulfilling our promise to Be The Difference.”
Momentum grew throughout the campaign, with the final year culminating in the most alumni gifts ever in a single fiscal year. Annual alumni giving also increased from 13% at the campaign’s outset to 20% in each of the final two years.
Vice President for University Advancement Tim McMahon highlighted 867 donors who committed $100,000 or greater in the eight-year campaign, including 149 donors who gave $1 million or greater.
Time to Rise was championed by trustee emerita Mary Ellen and Dr. Scott Stanek and trustee emeritus Chuck and Karen Swoboda, National Campaign Co-chairs, who led through their own philanthropy as well as by directing a worldwide network of 180 regional and affinity-based volunteers.
“This historic effort thrived in spite of launching publicly during one of the most challenging, uncertain times of the last century,” Mary Ellen Stanek said. “The success speaks to the deep commitment of our Marquette family, their life-long values and their devotion to live as women and men for others.”
In the heart of the pandemic, the Staneks reignited the Bridge to the Future Fund for those students whose changing economic circumstances jeopardized their ability to continue their Marquette education. “It was our job to give our students hope and keep their dreams alive,” Dr. Scott Stanek said. Donors responded to their call by contributing more than $3 million in student financial aid through the Bridge to the Future Fund.
“Marquette alumni have an extraordinary bond, and it was an honor to see so many come together to take this special institution to the next level,” Chuck Swoboda said.
“We were especially encouraged to see so many new donors step forward, which signifies that this was a campaign for everyone, and that people are moved to be a part of something so much larger than any one individual,” Karen Swoboda said.
The campaign focused on broad impact within four objectives:
- Enrich and expand student opportunities, with an emphasis on increasing access and scholarship support
- Support for our teacher-scholars
- Foster university-wide innovation
- Transform the campus environment
“Time to Rise began as a rightfully bold plan, turned into a philanthropic movement and has helped to create a sustainable culture of giving at Marquette,” McMahon said. “Together, benefactors have opened doors for our students, supported our world-class faculty, bolstered academic and athletics programs alike, and transformed our campus.”
An investment in academic excellence, innovation and a campus transformation
Throughout the eight-year campaign, donors invested in campus-wide academic disciplines, generating more than $185 million to support teacher-scholars, including launching 118 new faculty-focused funds. Funds advanced research, supported graduate assistants and drove innovation in areas such as real estate, literacy, psychology, restorative justice, neuro recovery, biomedical engineering, leadership development and others.
Centers of academic excellence that began on campus often extended into the community, resulting in unique partnerships with Northwestern Mutual, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Omron and the Near West Side Partners, to name a few.
In addition, generous donors supported more than a dozen projects that enhanced living and learning environments, resulting in a dramatic campus transformation. Projects included a new home for Marquette Business (Dr. E. J. and Margaret O’Brien Hall) the restoration and improvement of St. Joan of Arc Chapel, a revitalized School of Dentistry facility and the first new residence hall in 50 years (The Commons).
This academic year, Marquette plans to open four signature facilities — a renovated and expanded Straz Hall (for nursing students), the Lemonis Center for Student Success, a renewed Chapel of the Holy Family and a reimagined Wellness + Helfaer Recreation Center that will result in a 25% increase in recreation space and nearly double the wellness and medical space offered on campus today.
“As we look ahead, we will continue to drive progress knowing that we’ve collectively built on our strong foundation and helped Marquette rise in profound ways,” Acting President Ah Yun said. “We sincerely appreciate the support from our Marquette Nation across the world.”
