University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee officials said Monday the university has exceeded its $200 million goal for its comprehensive fundraising campaign after raising a record amount in 2017-18.
UWM officials went public last fall with the university’s ambitious campaign – called Made in Milwaukee, Shaping the World: The Campaign for UWM – after quietly raising $170 million toward that goal since 2012. At that time, officials set a goal of raising $30 million to complete the campaign.
Officials on Monday said UWM raised $38.2 million over the last fiscal year, which ended June 30. It’s the largest amount ever raised at the university in a year and represents an increase of 16.4 percent over the previous record of $32.9 million in 2012-13.
“This is an extraordinary accomplishment, and I am grateful to all our alumni, close friends and supporters who have contributed to our campaign,” UWM Chancellor Mark Mone said.
UWM will continue its campaign through June 30, 2019. The campaign goal was double that of UWM’s previous fundraising campaign, which ended in 2008 with $120 million raised.
“The enthusiasm and generous support of our donors allowed us to reach this milestone and gives us great momentum during the final stretch of the campaign,” Mone said. “I’m incredibly proud of our fundraising team, who continue to punch above their weight, enabling success for so many more students, faculty and staff.”
The largest gift in the campaign came from co-chairs Marianne and Sheldon Lubar, who gave $10 million in 2015 to establish the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center. It was the couple’s second $10 million gift to UWM.
“I believe there is no more important institution in Milwaukee and the state than UWM,” Sheldon Lubar said. “The university provides a pipeline of talent that is critical for our region’s businesses. We consider our investment in UWM a benefit to every citizen of Wisconsin.”
Another significant gift included Mary and Ted Kellner’s $5 million donation through the Kelben Foundation to support faculty scholarships and entrepreneurship.
At the time of the public campaign launch last year, the university also revealed Rockwell Automation’s $1.7 million commitment to help launch a connected systems institute at the university.
“During this campaign, we have seen an outpouring of support from our alumni, community partners, friends, faculty and staff,” said Patricia Borger, UWM’s vice chancellor for development and alumni relations. “The fact that we have reached our goal one year ahead of schedule reflects the extraordinary dedication of our donors, who realize how valuable UWM is to the individual lives of our students and to the entire region of southeastern Wisconsin and beyond.”
