Five years after announcing the Campaign for Tennessee, the University of Tennessee system has reached its goal of raising $1 billion through private fundraising.
The billion dollar campaign, which has been called the most ambitious fundraising effort in the system’s history, reached its goal 18 months before the campaign’s official ending in December 2011.
Having reached the campaign goals, UT now is among only 28 public universities that have raising more than $1 billion in private donations, according to the Council for the Advancement and Support of education. A total of 98,000 people contributed to the Campaign for Tenessee, and UT board member Charles Anderson, and his wife, Moll, gave a multimillion-dollar gift that pushed the campaign past its goal, officials said. Mr. Anderson would not reveal the exact amount.
Campaign dollars are allocated for scholarships, professorship and programs and are not used for university operating costs.
In announcing the campaign success, the board also announced the resignation of Henry Nemcik, the system’s top development officer, who will be leaving UT to go to the University of New Mexico.