News Releases   »   2008   »   February

Ithaca College Surpasses Campaign Goal By $30 Million

ITHACA, N.Y. – In a victory that exceeded the wildest expectations of Ithaca College administrators, the college has not only met its $115 million goal for the largest comprehensive capital campaign in its history, but surpassed it by raising a total $145 million.

 “The last week has been a whirlwind,” said Vice President for Institutional Advancement Shelley Semmler, who spearheaded the campaign. As the Feb. 29 deadline approached, several multi-million-dollar gifts pushed the campaign total over the top. First, a $2 million gift from Edward Glazer ’92, executive vice president of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, officially brought the campaign over its $115 million goal.

 “When Shelley Semmler and President Williams showed me the plans for what will be the centerpiece of the new athletics and events center – a six-lane 200-meter indoor track capable of holding almost 7,500 people, it didn’t take me long to decide I wanted to be a part of it,” Glazer said. “From the brand-new business school to the new A&E center, Ithaca College is in the process of transforming itself on all levels. As an alum, I’m thrilled to be giving back and to be a part of one of the most exciting times in the College’s history.”

 Next, a $25 million grant from Atlantic Philanthropies, a foundation closely associated with Ithaca College trustee and Los Angeles actress Caroleen Feeney ’86, resulted in a giant leap forward for the campaign and a significant boost to what will be ongoing fund-raising efforts for the A&E center. “The end of a campaign is always exciting,” Semmler said, “but this was way beyond anything we dreamed of.”

 The benefits of the campaign are already visible on campus. The new School of Business Building, designed to earn the highest (platinum) level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, first opened for classes in January. The College also expects to break ground this spring or summer on two primary components of a new athletics and events center: a 130,000-square-foot field house and outdoor, lighted turf field. A host of innovative academic programs have been established, and 144 new scholarships and endowed funds have been created, as well as another 40 funds that benefit academic programs and athletics. Finally, the campaign has also ensured continuing support of the Ithaca Fund, which provides annual support for internships, research projects, technology, and opportunities for study abroad. For more information about the campaign go to www.ithaca.edu/campaign.

 Both of the multi-million gifts received over the last week will be applied toward the athletics and events center. By meeting the $20 million campaign goal for the A&E center, the College will be able to begin construction of the field house and turf field. The total cost of those elements, excluding the cost of site preparation (burying utility lines and re-routing existing roads, etc.), is expected to be about $35 million, and the College plans to continue fund raising for the center over the next few years. Ithaca College has agreed to provide the additional $13 million for site preparation.

What the $25 million grant from Atlantic Philanthropies will enable Ithaca to do is to include a new aquatics center in this first phase of construction, something the College was previously unable to do. Included in the $25 million grant is a $7.5 million challenge grant.

 “The challenge grant will be a big help to our continuing fund-raising efforts,” Semmler said. “It will provide a tremendous incentive for people to make gifts that are essentially double the value of their own contribution.”

 More than 37,000 Ithaca College alumni, parents, and friends contributed to the campaign from the beginning of its silent phase in June 2001 to the end of the campaign on Feb. 29. “I find that amazing,” said Ithaca College President Peggy R. Williams. “It’s a testament to the confidence people have in the quality of an IC education.”

 “This campaign was as much about connecting with our alumni, parents, and friends as it was about financial support,” agreed Semmler, adding that since the public launch of the campaign in October 2006, the College hosted some 35 events in 17 cities across the country. “All of us involved in this unique enterprise have been incredibly heartened by the widespread loyalty of our constituents.”

 “The success of the campaign speaks volumes about how special Ithaca College is to so many people,” said Lawrence M. Alleva ’71, chair of the campaign and the U.S. leader for ethics and compliance for PricewaterhouseCoopers' Assurance Practice. “I’ve spent close to 19 years, in total, on the Ithaca College Board of

 Trustees, and volunteering for the College is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. It continues to be a source of personal satisfaction—and, quite frankly, is a great deal of fun, as well.”

 “We couldn’t have picked anyone more dedicated to helping Ithaca College than Larry Alleva to be our campaign chair,” Semmler said

 The College has already hosted thank-you events for campaign donors in Los Angeles and New York and will continue with events in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, D.C. over the next few months. “We want to thank everyone who participated in this Herculean effort,” said President Williams. “We need to celebrate this stunning achievement.”

 Coeducational and nonsectarian, Ithaca College is a nationally recognized independent college of some 6,100 undergraduates and 300 graduate students. Located in Ithaca, New York, it combines the individual attention of a small institution with the resources and offerings of a large university. The college was founded in 1892 as a music conservatory and today continues that emphasis on performance and active learning—both inside and outside of the classroom—with over 100 degree programs offered through the Schools of Business, Communications, Health Sciences and Human Performance, Humanities and Sciences, and Music as well as the Division of Graduate Studies and Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies.