The essence of the Stanford Challenge, a five-year campaign that raised $6.23 billion, was its clarity of purpose in an era of complex educational change. The fund-raising effort, which concluded December 31, provides pivotal support for developing the kind of interdisciplinary approach and campus-wide collaboration that has become a driving force for both research and teaching.
The campaign, which got under way in 2006 with a goal of $4.3 billion, so reshaped the way faculty and students work, said President John Hennessy, that it "enabled Stanford to assume a larger role in addressing global problems. We are already making a greater difference."
More than 166,000 alumni, students, parents, corporations, foundations and friends of the University made gifts. A force of 10,360 individuals volunteered their time and initiative. An overview of the campaign highlights the breadth of its accomplishments.
- The campaign's overarching components earmarked $2.33 billion for "seeking solutions" (including initiatives involving human health, the environment and sustainability); $2.11 billion for "sustaining a foundation of excellence" (which featured core support for students and faculty); and $1.61 billion for "educating leaders" (including commitments to the arts, K-12 education and undergraduate and graduate education).
- 139 new endowed faculty positions were created, including provostial professorships, directorships and school chairs.
- More than $250 million was raised for need-based undergraduate scholarships.
- 38 new facilities have opened or are in construction, including the science and engineering quad and the Bing Concert Hall in a new arts district.
- Research funding included $27 million in seed grants for multidisciplinary collaboration.
- The late Susanna Atwell, '37, MA '38, provided an unrestricted bequest of $8 million in matching funds for schools and programs, helping to encourage gifts to the University's annual funds from students and recent graduates.
- 366 new graduate fellowships were established, including more than five dozen in interdisciplinary programs.
- More than 1,500 people notified Stanford that they had included the University in their estate plans.
