Miami University fundraising breaks record, reaches all-time high
Jul. 21—Miami University has broken a record — and it isn't one of its usual academic excellence honors.
School officials recently announced a fundraising total of more than $98.7 million garnered by the end of its fiscal year on June 30.
The goal for the university was to reach $75 million by that date but Miami officials said their efforts saw the school blow past that fundraising target in April. Given the increasingly grim economic news of the 2021-2022 school year — including rising inflationary costs — the achievement is all the more remarkable, said officials.
"Our donors' response (to fundraising solicitations) has been tremendous, even in the face of headwinds — this year gives us a big push in the right direction," said Brad Bundy, vice president for university advancement.
The $98.7 million is the largest annual fundraising amount achieved in Miami's history, said Bundy and overall it will mean more scholarship opportunities for students helping them and their families pay for college at Butler County's largest university.
The historic fund raising comes at the same time Miami is in a $169 million building boom on and near its main Oxford campus.
"I'm the father of four Miami alums, so I know firsthand the value of a Miami education," he said.
"I also know that for many deserving students, college is increasingly out of reach. Scholarships help make college a possibility for students who may need extra support and thanks to the generosity of the Miami community — and the commitment of our team to the mission of the university — more students will have that opportunity as a result of this year's fundraising success."
The university is Butler County's largest employer and has a combined undergraduate and graduate student enrollment of about 20,000.
Miami also operates regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown and a Learning Center in West Chester Twp.
The school raised more than $98.7 million in new gifts and pledges from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, surpassing its previous record year of $98.5 million achieved in fiscal year 2017.
Scholarship fundraising totaled $46.8 million.
The recently completed fiscal year also saw the school $45.5 million in cash gifts, which exceeded the fiscal year goal of $30 million.
The overall receding of the COVID-19 pandemic from the scheduling and other havoc the virus played on Miami's operations in 2020-2021 and the early portion of the 2021-2022 school year was attributed as a major factor in Miami's record-breaking total.
"In addition to a record-breaking fundraising year, fiscal year 2022 also marked a return to normal alumni engagement levels. Miamians turned out in pre-COVID numbers for events such as "MIAMI WOMEN" initiatives "Hawk Tank" and "Leadership Symposium," "Alumni Weekend" and "Grandparents College," said Bundy.