Auburn campaign surpasses $800 million in donations

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Because This is Auburn – A Campaign for Auburn University reached a new milestone when it surpassed the $800 million mark to reach $828 million at the end of August — nearly 83 percent of its $1 billion goal. The campaign was launched publicly five months ago by the Auburn University Foundation, which receives gifts on behalf of Auburn University and Auburn University at Montgomery.

Building on the $775 million raised as of its April 18 public launch at Auburn's 2015 A-Day game, Because This is Auburn has received more than $53 million from more than 12,000 donors since then – including more than 1,600 first-time donors. Although those contributions range in value and source, collectively they are aimed at enriching students' Auburn experience and strengthening support for the faculty, programs and facilities that make that experience unique.

"It will take the support of the entire Auburn Family working together to achieve our goals," said Jane DiFolco Parker, Auburn's vice president for development and president of the Auburn University Foundation. "There is tremendous power in every gift and within everyone who supports Auburn through this campaign. It is up to each of us to take action and show our support for the Auburn of the future that we want and that our students deserve.

"Because This is Auburn is more than just a fundraising effort," she added. "The extraordinary generosity shown by our alumni and friends demonstrates the spirit, determination, and values that characterize the Auburn Family."

Because This is Auburn seeks to propel the university forward through a renewed commitment to its students, a continued promise to the state and a shared responsibility to the world. Auburn's goal through this comprehensive campaign – the largest in its 159-year history – is to create thousands of new scholarships for students, endow more than 100 new chairs and professorships for educators and researchers, develop programs allowing the Auburn Family to connect with people everywhere and build new facilities and reimagine existing campus facilities.

Donors may support the campaign by giving online, by phone or through the mail. For more information about Because This is Auburn and making a gift through the campaign, visit because.auburn.edu.

Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.