‘Matching the Promise’ raises $60M

IU has raised more than $60 million for graduate fellowships through the University’s “Matching the Promise” campaign, a three-fold increase in funds since the campaign’s inception, said Kent Dove, IU senior vice president for development.\nThe campaign, which began in July 2003, works to provide financial aid to low- and moderate-income undergraduate and graduate students, as well as funding building and academic projects. As of now, the campaign has raised about $800 million of its $1 billion goal – a goal the campaign hopes to reach by June 2010, Dove said. But the campaign is already starting to pay off, said University Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Neil Theobald. \n“We’ve been able to recruit the best students regardless of (their) financial situation,” he said.\nThe campaign has three parts – undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships and other University projects. Dove said the campaign committee identified the greatest need among students and found more scholarship opportunities were available for undergraduates than oppurtunities for graduates to receive fellowships. Fellowships, Dove explained, are essentially like scholarships, but for graduate students. The campaign has now helped create 67 new graduate fellowships, Theobald said.\nDonors to the campaign have mainly been individuals, but some corporations and foundations have also contributed, Dove said. When someone donates to the campaign, he or she has the ability to choose where the money goes. \nThe $60 million raised by the campaign is up from $22 million the campaign started with in 2003 for graduate fellowships, Dove said. Theobald said IU matches donations of $50,000 or more. With that, the University has about $135,000 to contribute to fellowships, according to an IU news release. Theobald said across universities in Indiana, he thinks IU has worked the hardest to make sure bright students who may not be financially well-off can still attend the University.\n“I think that fits our mission as a public university very well,” he said.