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\u201cI am profoundly grateful to our donors for the tremendous success of this campaign,\u201d Mone said. \u201cTheir generosity will benefit our students, research and community engagement for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than 21,000 donors contributed to the campaign, and nearly half (49%) were first-time donors. More than 70,000 gifts were received, with UWM alumni giving the largest percentage (27%), followed by corporations (22%), individuals (20%), not-for-profit organizations (17%) and foundations (14%).<\/p>\n
More than a third (39%) of the total raised came through gifts of $1 million or more, and 78 donors contributed at least $1 million during the campaign. More than $36 million came through estate gifts.<\/p>\n
\u201cDonors play a critical role in the health of a university,\u201d said Patricia Borger, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations. \u201cThe outpouring of support from UWM\u2019s alumni, friends, faculty and staff, as well as from businesses and foundations, is inspiring. Our campaign co-chairs generated passion through their significant gifts and enthusiastic leadership. I am deeply grateful for everyone who took part in this campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘Education opens doors’<\/h3>\n
During Thursday\u2019s event, several volunteer co-chairs of the fundraising campaign addressed the crowd.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a prime example of what you can do when armed with an education,\u201d said Jim Ziemer, who rose from a job as an elevator operator at Harley-Davidson to become the company\u2019s CEO. \u201cEducation opens doors. UWM is a Wisconsin success story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
David Lubar conveyed greetings to the crowd from his parents, Marianne and Sheldon Lubar, who were traveling abroad. The Lubars\u2019 $10 million donation kick-started the effort that resulted in the opening this year of the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center and UWM Welcome Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are proud to support UWM, and of course, the entrepreneurship center,\u201d David Lubar said. \u201cThe entrepreneurship center is everything my parents envisioned and more.\u201d<\/p>\n
New buildings, new initiatives<\/h3>\n
During the campaign, UWM opened the Kenwood Interdisciplinary Research Complex as well as the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center and UWM Welcome Center, and an addition to the Klotsche Center was recently announced. Major initiatives launched during the campaign included the Connected Systems Institute and the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute. All of these were made possible in part by support from donors.<\/p>\n
Volunteer co-chairs to the campaign included Michael Falbo, regent emeritus of the UW System; Sheila Falbo, community volunteer; Douglas Hagerman, retired senior vice president of Rockwell Automation; Mary Kellner (\u201978, \u201919), president of the Kelben Foundation; Ted Kellner, chairman and CEO of T&M Partners LLC; Gale Klappa (\u201972, \u201911), executive chairman of WEC Energy Group; Marianne Lubar (\u201913), president of the Lubar Family Foundation; Sheldon Lubar (\u201988), founder and chairman of Lubar & Co.; Beth Pritchard (\u201969), principal and strategic advisor of Sunrise Beauty Studio; W. John Pritchard (\u201969), partner at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP; Lorin Radtke (\u201990), retired partner of Goldman Sachs; and Jim Ziemer (\u201975, \u201986, \u201908), retired president and CEO of Harley-Davidson.<\/p>\n