Ball State University's "Ball State Bold: Investing in the Future" campaign to raise $200 million by 2011 has raised 92 percent of its goal.
Ben Hancock, vice president for university advancement, said Ball State Bold has received $183,876,189 as of Monday.
"We're running ahead of schedule," he said. "Those are all good signs that alumni and friends of the university are excited about projects and they want to be part of the campaign."
The campaign, which started "quietly" in July 2004 and became a public initiative in September 2008, hopes to raise $200 million by June 2011 to go toward funding campus improvements, such as scholarships, the creation of new immersive-learning opportunities and campus renovations, Hancock said.
Ball State Bold is the university's third comprehensive campaign, he said.
The campaign was publicly announced right before the country's financial crisis, which made the large percentage raised ahead of time surprising, Hancock said. The state of the economy also makes the donations even more important, he said.
"I would say when the economy is down, individuals and companies turn to the universities they want to invest in," he said. "It's more critical than ever and that's what we're seeing."
Hancock said it's mostly Ball State alumni and friends of the university who are excited about Ball State's projects and want to be part of the campaign. They want Ball State to be success and allow students to get a good education, he added.
Some of the donations have already been put to use. Ball State Bold money was put toward renovations to the Ball Honors House, the new Student Recreation and Wellness Facility and the Bold and Floyd Leadership scholarships. The money has already supported over 100 scholarships so far, according to Ball State Bold's Web site.
More than 16,550 alumni have donated money and 27 payments of $1 million or more have been made, according to the Web site.
Hancock said with only eight percent left to raise, he expects the university to pass Ball State Bold's goal and will continue to take donations until 2011.
"We [will] want to mark the occasion [of reaching the goal], but [we] won't celebrate because we have a lot to go to express the needs of the university," he said. "I continue to be very excited with the success we've had to date."
Anyone is welcome to make a donation to Ball State Bold. To make a donation, go online to cms.bsu.edu/Giving/HowtoMakeaGift.aspx
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