UPDATED: Nov. 10, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.

Syracuse University has launched a $1.5 billion capital campaign, the largest in its history.

The Forever Orange campaign’s main goals are to increase the university’s endowment and double the number of alumni engaged with SU, said Matt Ter Molen, SU’s chief advancement officer and senior vice president.  

The campaign has already raised more than $770 million and attracted 78,000 unique donors. SU set a goal to attract 125,000 unique donors.

The launch comes after SU raised more than $163 million in the 2019 fiscal year, a record-breaking year for university fundraising. SU is also preparing to celebrate its 150th anniversary in March. 

“We really wanted private philanthropy as one of the key ways and knowing that we were also celebrating our 150th anniversary,” Ter Molen said. “We thought now would be the perfect time to go public with the launch of the campaign.”

The campaign will support SU’s Academic Strategic Plan, a 2015 outline of academic priorities and goals the university aims to implement throughout the coming years. Bolstering research programs, hiring more faculty and increasing financial aid are some of the ASP’s goals.

Otto the Orange made an appearance at the Forever Orange kickoff event. Corey Henry | Photo Editor

SU held an event Friday for the Forever Orange campaign, inviting donors, alumni, students and other members of the university community to a reception in the Schine Student Center. A dinner event was later held on the Quad. Both events were invite-only and closed to press. 

The university hasn’t set a timeline for the campaign, but the public fundraising phase will likely last four to six years, Ter Molen said. Former Chancellor Nancy

Cantor’s campaign raised more than $1 billion from 2005 to 2012. 

The university’s endowment, currently valued at about $1.3 billion, is a pool of money collected from donors that is invested in the stock market. Donors can set up endowed funds for scholarships, study abroad opportunities and faculty positions, among other things, Ter Molen said. 

Growing SU’s endowment diminishes the university’s reliance on tuition and provides for a more secure financial standing. Funds for scholarships and other programs that aren’t endowed must be replenished with donations each year.  

The campaign aims to grow engagement in more ways than donations, including support of student internships, job opportunities and immersion trips, Ter Molen said.

“We wanted to build a campaign in which everyone could participate in,” Ter Molen said. “Campaigns really aren’t just about big dollar amounts.”

The university will measure engagement in terms such as whether alumni attend club events in their cities, visit campus for Orange Central or interact with SU on social media. SU hopes to expand the proportion of involved alumni to one out of five.

Students have contributed to alumni engagement through the Forever Orange Student Alumni Council, a group of 20 students that act as liaisons between current students and alumni. The council leads Class Act, a campaign encouraging the Class of 2020 to donate to SU.

Andrew Regalado, a senior political science and policy studies major, serves as president of the student council. Members play a hospitality role when alumni return to campus for events like Orange Central and the capital campaign launch, he said.

“(We) show from the student perspective how we’re passionate about this place just as alumni and knowing that every dollar counts toward the main objective of giving back to the next generation of Syracuse students,” said Tyler Newman, a senior and member of the council.

Eva Suppa | Digital Design Editor

Lifetime Board of Trustees member Robert Miron and his wife Diane donated $7 million to support SU Libraries and create a pathway between the Carrier Dome and the Barnes Center at The Arch. SU alumnus Elliot Stamler has pledged $5.48 million toward creating endowed funds for the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Other previously announced donations are folded into the Forever Orange campaign. These donations became part of the campaign as they aligned with the university’s goals for the future, Ter Molen said. 

A $25 million gift from John and Laura Lally to SU Athletics and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, announced in September, is included in the campaign. So is $5 million from former Board of Trustees Chairman Steven Barnes, announced in 2017, toward the Barnes Center at The Arch.

Alumni Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello have donated more than $30 million to SU, including toward programs for veterans, the National Veterans Resource Center program and the Whitman School, among other university priorities. Alumnus Kwang Tan has also provided $5 million toward an auditorium in the NVRC, which is expected to open in spring 2020.

“Buildings sometimes provide the most visible impact of what campaigns can do to universities,” Ter Molen said on Saturday. “It’s harder to see endowment or current use. When you walk through Schine as we did last night, you can see how we’re really transforming the student center.” 

D’Aniello and Renée Schine Crown, for whom Schine is named, will lead the campaign as honorary co-chairs. Patricia Mautino and Michael Thonis, vice chairs of the Board of Trustees, and lifetime Trustee John Riley will serve as chairs of the National Campaign Council.

This post was updated with additional reporting. 

Published on November 8, 2019 at 7:20 pm

Contact Casey: casey@dailyorange.com | @caseydarnell_