Chancellor Robert Jones announced this past Thursday that the University reached its $2.25 billion fundraising goal a year ahead of schedule.
Each year, the University receives investments from alumni and friends who are eager to help the college thrive and become successful.
“The need for private support in higher education is greater than ever before, especially in these uniquely challenging times,” Jones said when announcing the result of the campaign.
The fundraising campaign, First Illinois, was first commenced in October 2017, with an ambitious goal of $2.25 billion — the largest amount in the University’s history.
According to the Campaign for Illinois, the goal has been surpassed a whole year later with more than 730,000 gifts from 158,000 donors from all 50 states and 61 countries worldwide and a new high of $2.268 million. This put the university ahead of schedule, leaving plenty of time for added funds to roll in.
The core ideals of this campaign prioritize propelling bright minds, finding solutions to the world’s challenges and building a university with distinction at the heart of Illinois.
Some of these funds are allocated towards addressing the COVID-19 relief efforts,  while other investments are geared to advancing the research and development that goes into some of the biggest solutions on this campus and others are planned, endowed, matched, honorary or gifts of securities.
The University has reallocated money to each college within the University to help advance the resources in their residing department. There are certainly larger funds donated by prominent figures in the University departments.
According to the news release put out by the Campaign for Illinois, the fundraising money consisted of donations of $25 million from the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation to establish the Siebel Center for Design, $150 million, the largest gift, from Larry and Beth Gies to the College of Business and a generous 10 million donation from board chairman Don Edwards and his wife.
“As a trustee and donor, I am proud of the With Illinois campaign’s success, and deeply grateful to our supporters for their generosity and to our advancement team for its hard work,” Edwards said.
While the University has met its goal, the fundraising campaign will continue to proceed until 2022 in order to further support faculty and staff, larger capital projects and other initiatives such as Carle Illinois College of Medicine. The campaign will also further support the 21st-century vision, according to officials.

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