New Ohio State campaign strives to engage 1M supporters

In October, The Ohio State University launched the public phase of Time and Change: The Ohio State Campaign, the most ambitious, inclusive community-building and fundraising endeavor in the university’s 150 years of existence.

The campaign strives to engage 1 million supporters, an unprecedented level in higher education. Time and Change has a financial goal of $4.5 billion—also the largest in Ohio State’s history—with three core areas of focus: student success; discovery; and healthy, vibrant communities.

“As we celebrate Ohio State’s sesquicentennial, it is fitting to launch a campaign focused on the essence of what it means to be a Buckeye: our unwavering focus on people, their potential, our community and our collective impact around the world,” said President Michael V. Drake. “Together, we will continue to invest in the future and ignite hope—inspiring new generations and delivering innovations that serve the greater good.”

In addition to continuous fundraising for undergrad scholarships and graduate fellowships, the College of Engineering will pursue three critical initiatives within the campaign’s focus on student success, discovery and healthy communities.

Preparing Talent for Tomorrow: To continue growth in a competitive global economy, our state and our nation needs more work-ready engineers—from coding to manufacturing and every discipline in between.

Making Mobility Smarter: Ohio State’s comprehensive excellence in transportation research and testing assets position it well to lead development of autonomous, connected and sustainable vehicles and mobility systems.

Engineering Cures for Cancer: Researchers in the College of Engineering, the College of Medicine and Wexner Medical Center are already collaborating in the fight against cancer. Their interdisciplinary successes to date indicate that more investment will lead to more breakthroughs.

“These key initiatives rely upon and involve faculty and students from across the various fields in engineering and architecture,” said Dean David B. Williams. “We have set an ambitious campaign goal of $450 million for the college, and will be looking to our alumni, friends, and industry partners to help us reach this objective, with impactful benefit to our students, faculty, and the world beyond.”

To ensure that this campaign is driven by academic priorities, the university’s strategic plan was used to engage hundreds of volunteers in the early themes and priorities. University, academic, medical center and volunteer leaders have been working together on campaign planning for the last four years. Continued partnerships with all stakeholders will be maintained and strengthened throughout Time and Change.

The But for Ohio State Campaign concluded in September 2016, having raised over $3 billion from more than 750,000 donors, both university records. The quiet phase of Time and Change: The Ohio State Campaign began on October 1, 2016, and nearly 500,000 donors have contributed over $1.7 billion so far.

For more information on Time and Change: The Ohio State Campaign, visit: campaign.osu.edu.