The Alumni Association of the University of Michigan announced an ambitious goal of raising $100 million as part of U-M’s Look to Michigan fundraising campaign. It is the largest fundraising campaign goal in the Association’s history.
The Alumni Association is prioritizing three key areas as part of the fundraising campaign: future alumni, alumni spaces, and alumni programming.
Future alumni — The Association aims to expand the LEAD Scholars program to support the University-wide mission to foster diverse campuses where students from all backgrounds have an opportunity at a life-changing education.
Launched in 2008 by the Alumni Association, the LEAD Scholars program offers merit-based scholarships and empowering community support to admitted students who exemplify the program’s four pillars: leadership, excellence, achievement, and diversity. Currently, there are more than 315 Wolverines on campus who are LEAD Scholars. The goal is to grow the program to support 500 LEAD Scholars.
Alumni spaces — The Alumni Association aims to preserve institutional traditions and foster inclusive spaces, such as the Alumni Center and Camp Michigania, where Wolverines can exchange ideas, pursue a greater purpose, and connect with the U-M community.
Alumni programming — The Association looks to expand resources and programming to broaden our global network and lay the groundwork for the future of the alum experience, deepening connections for all U-M students and alums.
“We aim to provide unparalleled resources and opportunities for Wolverines from the moment they’re accepted to U-M and through every phase of life,” said Ayanna McConnell, the Alumni Association’s president and CEO.
The Alumni Association’s effort is a piece of the University’s larger Look to Michigan fundraising campaign which aims to raise $7 billion, the largest known campaign goal of any public university.
The fundraising campaign publicly kicked off on Oct. 25, but the Alumni Association received gifts of $41.7 million during the silent phase of the campaign. U-M has received $3.3 billion during the silent phase.
U-M’s campaign supports the Vision 2034 and Campus 2050 plans that were announced earlier this year. The aim is for U-M to live out its mission of serving the public good by making an impact in four areas where the University is uniquely positioned to impact global challenges: life-changing education; health and well-being; democracy, civic and global engagement; and sustainability and climate action.
For more on the Alumni Association’s priorities during the fundraising campaign or to give a gift, visit: alumni.umich.edu/give.
