Carolina Alumni Review - November/December 2008

Next Capital Campaign
Could Start Next Year

The University’s next fundraising campaign could have a goal of between $3.5 billion and $4 billion. The drive would be close on the heels of the Carolina First campaign, which raised $2.38 billion before it concluded at the end of 2007.

According to a memo to the chancellor from Matt Kupec ’ 80, vice chancellor for University advancement, the campaign would be designed to “dramatically enhance Carolina’s position as the premier leader in public higher education … and provide even more new resources to support additional leading teaching, research, and service.”

The rationale for the campaign is based on the success of Carolina First and the projected needs of the growing University.

Kupec emphasized that a campaign is in the early planning stages, with the planning and quiet phase perhaps starting next year. In a letter to The Daily Tar Heel — in which he criticized coverage that he said made it appear the campaign already was under way — he wrote that the current strategy “includes recruiting a volunteer committee to work with us on a plan for a new campaign. Those efforts would include deliberations about crafting a case statement to generate support from donors” and to settle on a timeline, a monetary goal and a name for the campaign.

The new campaign would come with some associated costs. The advancement office has proposed a budget increase of $4.49 million in recurring funds over three years. Of that money, $3.3 million would go toward the creation of 13 new fundraising positions and 15 fundraising support positions. Another $1.16 million would go to the Office of University Relations for a related integrated marketing campaign.

The proposal also asks for $6.5 million in one-time funding for infrastructure needs including a new, $3.5 million software system for the University’s alumni development information system, and $3 million to renovate the University Development Office and help with construction of a new building for the Office of Advancement. The new software system would involve the GAA, which is responsible for maintaining alumni records.

FRIENDS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Professor Daniel Patterson knows the value of a strong library collection. In 1969 he began teaching a course on folksong and had to purchase the recordings he used in class with his own money. Since then, with the help of colleagues inside and outside the university, the materials he bought became a library collection accessible, protected and preserved for future teachers, students, musicians and researchers. The Southern Folklife Collection in Wilson Library is now one of the foremost archival resources in the world for studying American folk music and vernacular culture. When friends asked what he wanted for his 80th birthday, he suggested gifts to support this wonderful collection. Former students, friends and admirers are making this happen. During his 43 years at Carolina, he taught thousands of students in English as well as folklore and was chair of the Curriculum in Folklore from 1966 until 1989. Won’t you join in making a gift in his honor? It’s a great way to say thank you to someone dedicated to the excellence of the university’s library. Just specify the Dan Patterson Fund for the Southern Folklife Collection and make a gift by mail or online as shown below.