In Our Hands Campaign Surpasses Goal 20 Months Ahead of Schedule

By Nicole Thom-Arens | July 21, 2021

In April 2021, the NDSU Foundation announced it had surpassed the $400 million fundraising goal for In Our Hands: The Campaign for North Dakota State University. As of today, more than $430 million has been raised to support scholarships, faculty, facilities, and programs.

“It is an incredible testament to Bison Nation that we have exceeded the campaign goal 20 months ahead of schedule,” John Glover, NDSU Foundation president and CEO, said. “Most importantly, though, we’re not done yet.”

While the $400 million goal has been achieved, fundraising will continue through Dec. 31, 2021, with plans for NDSU to celebrate the campaign’s impact at in-person Homecoming events this fall, Oct. 6-9, 2021. Glover said the campaign will wrap up one year earlier than originally scheduled.

Already, students, faculty, and staff are experiencing the impact of the In Our Hands campaign. Students on campus today are receiving scholarships because of this campaign; faculty are conducting research supported by benefactors right now; students are learning in buildings funded by donors; and students are participating in programs offering exceptional experiences to better prepare them for the ever-changing needs of communities near and far.

The graph above represents dollars sent to campus in support of scholarships, faculty, and programs.

Since 2016, the NDSU Foundation has sent $90 million to campus in support of student scholarships, faculty, facilities, and programs. This is a more than 44% increase from the dollars sent to campus between 2011-2015.

During Homecoming 2015, NDSU President Dean L. Bresciani announced several goals for moving the university forward, which included increased philanthropy to support students and faculty. Thus, the Foundation began working with prospective donors, listening to their interests and passions, making the case for support, and securing gifts, beginning Jan. 1, 2016; the campaign’s original timeline was to finish Dec. 31, 2022.

“To accomplish a campaign of this magnitude is extraordinary,” President Bresciani said. “The fact that benefactors supported this campaign across all areas — student scholarships, faculty research, facilities, and programs — means we are able to deliver a superior higher education experience.”

The graph above represents all philanthropic dollars sent to campus since 2010 for facilities.

In 2020, a record $6.5 million was awarded to NDSU students for scholarships.

The graph above represents the NDSU Foundation endowment growth since 2010. On June 30, 2021, the endowment surpassed $318 million.

The NDSU Foundation endowment recently surpassed $300 million, an all-time high. In 2015, the value of the endowment was $132 million.

To date, donors have supported 1,283 funds during the In Our Hands campaign, including the creation of the Sheila and Robert Challey Institute for Global Innovation and Growth, the Menard Family Distinguished Speaker Series, the Ozbun Entrepreneurship and NICE Center, the Ron and Kaye Olson Deanship in the College of Business, eight named faculty positions, hundreds of new student scholarships, Aldevron Tower, and the Nodak Insurance Company Football Performance Complex. Many benefactors have also contributed to the Agricultural Products Development Center, a new facility primarily funded by the North Dakota state legislature, which was recently approved.

The above photos showcase the work of the NDSU Foundation.

Previous campaigns in support of NDSU include the $4 million SU ’75 campaign; the Centennial campaign, which raised $9 million; the $20 Million campaign, which raised $27 million; and the $108.4 million Momentum campaign.

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