WINONA AND MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota recently completed the school’s most ambitious capital campaign in history.
The Discover, Inspire, Lead Campaign, which concluded Dec. 31, 2018, raised a record $73 million for Saint Mary’s — far exceeding its $57 million goal.
The original $57 million goal was significantly higher than any past capital campaign in Saint Mary’s history. The university’s most recent capital campaign raised $30 million more than a decade ago.
“Over 9,000 people made gifts to the campaign,” said Audrey Kintzi, vice president for Advancement and Communication. “That kind of broad-based support is to be celebrated. It’s heartwarming to see the pride of our Saint Mary’s family to want to be associated with this campaign and what we’re doing.”
At the center of the campaign was the Science and Learning Center, a $19.7-million-dollar state-of-the-art facility completed in 2017. Another major highlight includes the growth in the First Generation Initiative (FGI) endowment, which started with less than $500,000 and now is close to $5 million. The FGI endowment ensures dollars to support First Generation Scholars at Saint Mary’s.
Altogether, the campaign supported many initiatives, including athletics, scholarships,
business programs, the facilities and programs at the Twin Cities Campus, Lasallian formation, and the Saint Mary’s Fund. These are in addition to the aforementioned key strategic campaign priorities.
Kintzi emphasized Saint Mary’s is blessed to have an extraordinary group of benefactors, friends, and alumni who believe in Saint Mary’s educational vision and have been inspired to partner with the university. “Their generous support will benefit current students and future generations of students,” she said. “What we’ve been able to accomplish is a testament to their generosity and their deep faith in our mission to awaken, nurture, and empower students to ethical lives of service and leadership. I am humbled and deeply grateful for everyone who chose to be a part of this extraordinary campaign.”
Father James P. Burns, IVD, president of Saint Mary’s University, shares Kintzi’s gratitude. “The generosity of our benefactors, friends, and alumni has furthered the university’s abilities to meet the needs of our students, as well as the demands of a challenging higher education environment,” he said. “As we look to advance Saint Mary’s signature strengths, many of which had their foundations laid by the Christian Brothers, we do so with an eye to further our academic reputation. For all of this, we are forever grateful to the many partnerships that this campaign has cultivated and strengthened. We are excited to embark on ideas to further position us for a strong future, and we will depend on these partnerships to ensure our success.”
THE NUMBERS THAT MATTER
Public campaign timeline — May 12, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2018
Total amount raised — $73 million
Total number of gifts — 47,000
Total number of donors — 9,400
First-time donors — 3,986
Total number of gifts of $1 million or more — 15
Total invested in facilities — $37,354,793
Total invested in financial aid and student programs — $35,814,385