Monroe Carell Jr.
“Shape the Future” campaign reaches historic $1 billion mark
Vanderbilt University announced today it has crossed the $1 billion mark in gifts and pledges in its multi-year “Shape the Future” campaign and detailed ways in which funds have already been put to use to transform the university and the people it serves.
“It’s gratifying to be able to announce this achievement, not only because it signals great success to date in a very ambitious campaign, but also because of the impact we have already seen as a result of this giving,” said Monroe Carell Jr., chairman and CEO of Central Parking Corporation and chair of the “Shape the Future” campaign. Carell is also a member of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust and an alumnus of the School of Engineering. “This milestone figure is a first in the history of the institution, and it represents the generosity of many people.”
Carell said the university so far has counted some 348,000 gifts and pledges from 106,000 supporters as part of this monumental effort.
The goal for the campaign is $1.25 billion. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, only 20 other institutions in the country are currently attempting a fund-raising campaign with a goal of $1 billion or more. No other campaign of this size has been undertaken in Tennessee.
"It has been a privilege to work with all of those incredible people at the Medical Center, the doctors and nurses, the students and the researchers. Their enthusiasm for their work is infectious. It makes it hard for anyone to say no. And the volunteers who have worked on this campaign are an equally gifted group. It will never be easy to raise a billion dollars but these folks sure make it fun,” said Orrin H. Ingram, a campaign co-chair and president and CEO of Ingram Industries.
Among the major projects that supporters of the campaign is helping fund at the Medical Center include:
• Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
• Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Frances Williams Preston Building
• Vanderbilt Eskind Diabetes Center
• Vanderbilt Bill Wikerson Center for Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences
• Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Institute
• School of Nursing Godchaux Hall renovations
• Faculty chairs
• Medical School scholarships
• Research initiatives
"I am in awe of the generosity of this community and energized by how committed they are to the things we do. From Children's Hospital to the Cancer Center, from scholarships to scientific research — this community has responded. But more than ever we have seen a growing national constituency for Vanderbilt and for our mission. Achievement of this milestone underlines the confidence that the philanthropic community has in our ability to help make their dreams a reality," said Harry R. Jacobson, M.D., vice chancellor for Health Affairs.
“The success of this campaign translates into tangible differences we notice on our campus every day,” said Chancellor Gordon Gee. “Our highest priorities are to provide more scholarship support to allow talented students from all backgrounds to attend Vanderbilt and to endow more faculty chairs that enable us to recruit and retain the best teachers and researchers anywhere in the world,” he said.
To date, $147 million in new gifts and pledges for scholarships have resulted from “Shape the Future.” This has contributed to an 80 percent increase in the book value portion of Vanderbilt’s endowment earmarked for scholarships. There are 168 new or substantially increased scholarship funds, and more than 41 percent of Vanderbilt’s new freshman class is receiving need-based scholarship support.
The university has added 54 faculty chairs as a result of the campaign with pledges and partial gifts or bequests for another 17.
Funds raised in the campaign also have resulted in:
• the addition of new health care facilities including the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital, which together serve people of all ages from throughout the community and region;
• new and renovated performing arts venues, including the Martha Rivers Ingram Center for the Performing Arts and the Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall, which host concerts and performances enjoyed by more than 30,000 people each year;
• new and renovated athletics venues, including Hawkins Field and Memorial Gym, which benefit teams, students and the 500,000 fans who attend Commodore athletic events each year;
• research across a wide array of disciplines across campus, ranging from cardiovascular disease and cancer to public education and Internet retailing;
• transinstitutional initiatives that bring together students and scholars from different disciplines and perspectives to examine, for example, religion and culture, law and business, integrative and cognitive neuroscience, and art, enterprise and public policy; and
• the ongoing planning of a residential college system that will enhance student engagement and intellectual exchange in all areas of campus life.
“‘Shape the Future’ is a comprehensive campaign that affects every area of Vanderbilt and its mission,” Carell said. “There is still much work to do as we strive to reach our goal, but I am confident that we will build on all the good this campaign already has accomplished and will achieve all that we’ve set out to do.”