U.Va. hits $4B in capital campaign

The University of Virginia has hit its $4 billion benchmark in its $5 billion Honor the Future capital campaign three years ahead of its deadline, the university announced this week.

U.Va. has brought in significant individual donations during the fundraising campaign, including a record-breaking $120 million gift from alumni Jaffray and Merrill Woodriff in 2019, which is going toward the new School of Data Science, as well as major donations benefiting the U.Va. Medical Center, the McIntire School of Commerce, a new performing arts center and establishment of the Karsh Institute of Democracy.

Honor the Future was launched publicly in 2019, and the university has set a goal of raising $5 billion by 2025. One area in which it has already impacted students and faculty is the matching program to create endowed scholarships and professorships. U.Va. has generated $990 million in gifts and matching funds, assisting nearly 480 undergraduate and graduate students, as well as creating 120 endowed professorships. Princeton Review named U.Va. as the nation’s top public university for financial aid in 2022, for the second year in a row.

“I am deeply grateful for the generosity of our alumni, parents and friends,” President Jim Ryan said in a statement. “Their gifts of all sizes are inspirational — they show a confidence in U.Va.’s current and future opportunities to improve lives, not just in our community, but around the world.”