Amarillo College launches first ever comprehensive campaign: Badger Bold
Amarillo College (AC) announced the launching of its $45 million fundraising campaign that supports three specific initiatives intended to transcend the college and transform the economic vitality of the region, Wednesday morning at the Washington Street campus's Oeschger Family Mall.
The campaign, announced as "Badger Bold," is the community college's first comprehensive campaign in its 93-year history. During the announcement, AC revealed that it is now moving into the campaign's "public phase," following its highly successful “quiet phase.” That portion has already garnered $31.5 million, or 70 percent of the campaign's overall goal, in gifts and commitments since its introduction in 2020.
"This campaign is ambitious. It's multi layered, and it will be vastly transformative. Through Badger Bold, we will empower students and faculty to unleash their unlimited potential, generate the workforce of the future, attract the jobs of the future, and maximize the economic viability of our city and our region," AC President Russell Lowery-Hart said.
Spearheaded by the AC Foundation with support from a distinguished campaign steering committee, Badger Bold supports three main initiatives:
Student Experience focusing on student access and completion, STEM Scholars Program, Earn & Learn, and AC's Athletics;
Faculty & Staff Enrichment including Endowed Faculty Awards and Program Development; and
Capital Enhancement involving Innovation Outpost; AC's Enrollment Center and Athletic Center.
During the quiet phase of Badger Bold, the college received six contributions of $1 million or more. One such gift came courtesy of the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation (AEDC), which approved $3 million over the next five years to support AC’s new Innovation Outpost.
Kevin Carter, president and CEO of the AEDC, said in a news release: “We believe in what Amarillo College is doing to upskill our local workforce. ... The Innovation Outpost is going to be a game-changer for our community and our workforce for years to come.”
With the launch of the public phase of Badger Bold, the AC Foundation is now tasked with acquiring $12.5 million over the next three years in order to meet its $45 million goal.
According to Hart, Amarillo College's economic impact is almost $700 million a year, which is more than all the other higher education entities combined, and with this campaign, AC hopes to bring more economic opportunities to the city and area.
"Badger Bold is a vision for both Amarillo and its college; it's because Amarillo College is among the region's most impactful economic drivers. ... We know that many times in just the past few years, Amarillo has been under consideration, and in some cases, a finalist for tech companies looking to relocate. But because our community often lacks a trained company workforce, we too often fail to attract those businesses. Working with our economic development cooperation, we will change that," Hart said.
AC Vice President of Institutional Advancement Joe Bill Sherrod spoke about what this campaign will mean for the community as well as AC.
"This means access to education for our students, and it means preparing them for the next generation of workforce in our community. This will change the workforce dynamic in our community, in that we will train students to graduate with more technical knowledge," Sherrod said.
"If you want to make a difference in a student's life and you want to make a difference in the life of your community at the same time, be a part and contribute to this campaign," Sherrod added.
In addition to the announcing of the campaign, Amarillo College will also host a major gift announcement pertaining to Badger Bold on Thursday, Oct. 13, at their Washington Street Campus near the campus's bridge on 24th Avenue.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo College launches $45 million fundraising campaign Badger Bold
