For me, a Carnegie Mellon Today story assignment usually begins with getting coffee with an award-winning engineer, or visiting the art studio of a gifted student, or learning basic science in a researcher’s lab that could change healthcare forever. Because I’m an alumnus, I’m always left with feelings of awe and pride.
But this assignment is different. I walk into the Fairmont, a plush Pittsburgh hotel. As I make my way to the Grand Ballroom, I’m joined by 340 guests, all here to celebrate the Grand Finale of CMU’s Inspire Innovation campaign. It’s an eclectic group—university officials, faculty, alumni, and guests of all ages.
First up to the podium is Ray Lane, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, who served as the Inaugural Chair of the campaign. He recalls CMU’s place in the world when he became a trustee in the mid-90s:
“Scholars here amazed me, demonstrating an uncanny ability to generate breakthrough ideas and pioneer solutions to tough problems with only a fraction of the resources available at other top-ranked universities…. Trustees, like myself, could see the risk ahead. We were proud to be able to do more with less; but at some point in time, if wealth accumulated and concentrated at other top-rated universities, we would pay the price.”
Money was needed to keep attracting top students and faculty. After getting the results from a feasibility study by a consulting firm, Lane reveals to the crowd it was recommended that a capital campaign goal shouldn’t be more than $600 million. Lane says he, Jared Cohon, president of the university, and Robbee Kosak, Vice President of Advancement, had questions:
“Why couldn’t we do better? Why couldn’t one of the greatest research universities raise $1 billion? Jerry said it, I said it, Robbee said it.” A few, Lane recollects, replied “you’re out of your mind.” But, he says, the bar was set.
And the bar was surpassed with dramatic results [see results below].
Other speakers follow, culminating with Cohon, who takes the podium for the last time as CMU’s president. “You have changed Carnegie Mellon forever,” he says to the audience. Guests nod, with pride. So do I.
—Aaron Jentzen (DC’12)
By the Numbers
The Inspire Innovation campaign’s strategic plan was formulated in 1998. The silent phase began in 2003, went public in 2008, and closed June 30, 2013, raising its $1 billion goal 15 months ahead of schedule. Here is a sampling of the campaign numbers and what it has meant to the university.
> $1.19 billion raised
> 235,159 gifts
> 49,700 donors
> 5,500 volunteers, more than triple since the start of the campaign
> 250 new endowed scholarships
> 97 new endowed fellowships
> 31 new endowed professorships
> $64.3 million: renovations (academic buildings, labs, fitness, campus beautification)
> $41 million: construction of the Gates and Hillman Centers
> $21.3 million: student programs (athletics, student groups, student life, Greek life, prizes and awards)
> 34 acres acquired to expand the Pittsburgh campus under a 10-year master plan
> 3 transformative gifts that name three colleges:
• David A. Tepper School of Business
• H. John Heinz III College
• Marianna Brown Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences
> A stronger endowment, ensuring the university’s long-term financial health
Learn more: cmu.edu/campaign
Related Links:
About the Campaign
