Wayne State endowment campaign nearly doubles goal, hitting $900M

Wayne State not only came close to doubling the fundraising goal for its endowment but nearly reached 10 figures. The Wayne First capital campaign raised $900 million over seven years, eclipsing its goal of $500 million.

All of the money came from more than 400,000 gifts from alumni and friends of Wayne State. Some of the bigger gifts reached the millions of dollars. The campaign also inspired more than 44,000 people to make their first gifts to the University. Wayne State employees game more than $30 million, beating the original goal of $5 million.

The money goes toward capital and academic improvements, along with furthering research at the university. One $10 million donation played a critical role in doubling the classroom space at the Richard J. Mazurek, M.D. Medical Education Commons. Other new facilities that benefited from the Wayne First campaign were the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Marvin I. Danto Engineering Development Center and Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights.

These developments have also played a key role in Wayne State's transformation from a commuter-based campus to a community-based one over the last decade. The money also helped build the South University Village, a key project that transformed a surface parking lot on Woodward Avenue into high-end apartments and lots of new retail space for businesses.

Source: Wayne State University
Writer: Jon Zemke