Soaring Higher campaign reaches $1.5 billion toward $3 billion goal
Boston College has surpassed the halfway mark in its $3 billion Soaring Higher campaign, nearly one year to the day after its launch.
In a letter to donors acknowledging the milestone, the campaign co-chairs said that that the campaign had raised $1.5 billion to date, including a record annual total of $336 million in gifts and pledges last fiscal year.
“In the past six months alone, we celebrated the naming of the Clough School of Theology and Ministry, announced a gift to name the Seidner Department of Finance in the Carroll School of Management, and welcomed the first class of Messina College students, all of which was made possible by philanthropic commitments from the BC community,” said co-chairs Trustee René Jones ’86, and his wife Regent Brigid Doherty ’96, P’25; Trustee Chair John F. Fish and his wife Cyndy; Trustee Patti Kraft and her husband Jonathan, P’24; Trustee Phillip Schiller ’82 and his wife Kim Gassett-Schiller; and Trustee Marianne D. Short NC’73, JD’76, and her husband Raymond Skowyra, Jr., P’05.
“The Soaring Higher campaign benefits every part of campus, and your support has made the difference this year.”
Senior Vice President for University Advancement Andrew Davidson (Lee Pellegrini)
The campaign, the most ambitious in University history, aims to raise money for key priorities in academics, financial aid, and student life, including $1.15 billion to enhance teaching and scholarship across BC’s nine schools and colleges, $1.1 billion to boost financial aid for low- and middle-income families, and $750 million to support priorities in formative education, campus ministry, service immersion, and intercollegiate sports. Thus far, it has received donations from roughly 83,000 BC alumni, parents, students, and friends.
Senior Vice President for University Advancement Andrew Davidson attributes the campaign’s success to date to Boston College’s palpable institutional momentum, which has inspired the BC community to support this historic initiative.
“The campaign’s priorities resonate with our alumni and parents because they see how important they are to Boston College and its students, faculty, and staff,” said Davidson.
“I have witnessed firsthand the deep passion our community members hold for BC. This campaign enables them to align their passion with Boston College’s greatest needs and hopes for the future.”
Specifically, funds raised through Soaring Higher will enable the University to double the number of endowed faculty chairs and fellowships, strengthen faculty research, and support curricular innovation, while also helping BC to maintain its commitment to need-blind admissions and meeting the full demonstrated need of undergraduate students. It will also increase student internships, graduate fellowships, and support for international study, while providing resources for the construction and renovation of campus facilities, which will create additional space for teaching and student-faculty interactions.
Since the launch of Soaring Higher, Boston College has hosted donor events in New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco, with fall events scheduled for Philadelphia and Los Angeles, as well as Dublin and London.
“We are thrilled with the direction of the Soaring Higher campaign and pleased that so many of our alumni have participated to date,” said Davidson. “Our goal is to achieve 60 percent alumni participation over the life of the campaign, on our way to meeting or exceeding our target of $3 billion. It is a very exciting time for Boston College.”