NC State Reaches Capital Campaign Goal 19 Months Early

North Carolina State University celebrates reaching the $1 billion milestone in its Achieve! capital campaign today (Friday, Nov. 17). The university reached its target about a year and a half early, but Chancellor James Oblinger says that the fund-raising effort isn’t over yet.

“This is certainly not the end of the Achieve! campaign by any means,” Oblinger said, “but a time to celebrate what we have already accomplished. (Reaching a billion dollars) means that NC State has placed itself among the leaders in education, research and public service. And we’re not finished yet. Raising funds that will build NC State’s endowment is still a crucial goal for the remainder of the campaign.”

Bob Jordan, former North Carolina lieutenant governor and a member of the campaign executive committee, added, “Just a little more than one year ago, we announced that the Achieve! campaign was beginning its public phase of fund raising. At that time we had already surpassed the $750 million original goal and set our sights on raising an unbelievable $1 billion for NC State. Our volunteers (have) worked hard, and our donors – those people who love this university so much – stepped up.”

Campaign contributions have helped the university bolster its scholarships and financial aid, build new academic and athletic facilities, and strengthen faculty research and outreach. The campaign puts NC State in an elite group of about 50 universities that have raised at least a billion dollars.

The campaign officially runs until June 30, 2008. Terry Wood, vice chancellor for university advancement, said a more formal celebration is planned for the end of the campaign. “This is a proud day for NC State and everyone who supports the university. A lot of people have put a lot of hard work into getting us to this point. We’ve got a year and a half to see just how far we can eclipse the billion-dollar mark. It’s appropriate that we step back and celebrate how far we’ve come so far. There will be a much bigger celebration when we get to the finish line.”