'This is Our Time'

ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 22, 2018) — The University has launched the most ambitious fundraising campaign in its nearly 175-year history, seeking to raise $150 million to strengthen resources for financial aid, expand opportunities that produce student success, and advance research that addresses society’s most pressing issues.

The University kicked off the public phase of This Is Our Time: The Campaign for UAlbany on Friday evening with a campus celebration held at its Main Fountain area, followed by a dinner in the Massry Center for Business that drew more than 120 alumni, friends and campus community members.

Gifts to the campaign already total more than $104 million and have created 137 new endowed scholarships.

The Carillon towers above festive balloons at the launch of the This is Our Time campaign on Friday evening. (Photo by Paul Miller)

“Our campaign will continue to elevate UAlbany’s standing among the nation’s leading research universities,” said President Havidán Rodríguez. “The generous support of our alumni, friends, faculty and staff strengthens our University’s commitment to serving as an engine of opportunity for our remarkably diverse student body and as a force for change through our faculty’s groundbreaking research and creative works.”

As part of the campaign, the University launched its biggest-ever two-day giving challenge with the goal of raising 1,844 gifts between Monday, Oct., 22 and Tuesday, Oct. 23. A UAlbany Foundation board member has pledged to donate $1 million to the campaign should it reach that goal. To support the two-day challenge, make your donation here.

This Is Our Time Priorities

The campaign, which aligns closely with the University’s newly-created strategic plan, seeks funds in four priority areas:

• Scholarships and fellowships that continue to make a UAlbany education accessible to students from all economic and cultural backgrounds;
• Experiential learning opportunities, career development programs and other initiatives that promote students’ success and their successful transition from classroom to career;
• Cutting-edge research, faculty support and new academic programs that produce discovery and innovation; and
• Initiatives that build an even stronger sense of campus community by creating connections and promoting diversity and inclusion.

“Our campaign coincides with an exciting inflection point in UAlbany’s history,” said Vice President for Advancement Fardin Sanai. “The University is in the midst of its largest academic expansion in 50 years. Interest in UAlbany is at an all-time high. Applications for our freshman class set a record for the fifth consecutive year. We are grateful to our supporters for sustaining this momentum and accelerating UAlbany’s trajectory.”

The campaign’s co-chairs include:

• Jeff Black ’76, vice-chairman (retired), Deloitte
• Joan Solotar ’86, senior managing director, the Blackstone Group
• George R. Hearst III, publisher and CEO, Times Union

For more information on The Campaign for UAlbany, visit the This is Our Time website.

For more news, subscribe to UAlbany's RSS headline feeds