by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
A lot of campaign talk has focused on announcements made in Tallahassee recently, but some people are more interested in a campaign that focuses on school rooms rather than political offices.
The goal of the University of Florida Tomorrow Capital Campaign is to raise $1.5 billion by 2012 and despite encountering tough economic times, nearly $900 million has been raised since the campaign began in 2005. There are 11 regional campaigns that are supporting this drive, with the Jacksonville region holding its kickoff event April 23.
UF President Bernie Machen announced to the crowd of more than 300 supporters at the Hyatt Regency that alumni and friends of UF have pledged over $87 million to the campaign. The regional goal is to raise $150 million in the Jacksonville community, said Chris Brazda of the University of Florida Foundation.
“It has been great to see so many supporters stepping up for this campaign and pushing us over the midpoint of our goal,” said Brazda. “Jacksonville is one of our larger regions and they are really stepping up.”
Other regions include, Atlanta, Broward, Chicago, Miami-Dade, Naples, New York, Orlando, Palm Beach-Martin County, St. Petersburg and Tampa.
“It all starts with regional campaigns, the local fundraising drives that fuel the university’s overall campaign,” said Samuel “Buddy” Shorstein, chair of the Florida Tomorrow Regional Advisory Council, which oversees all regional advisory councils. “The Florida Tomorrow campaign’s success in large part depends on each region’s ability to recruit philanthropists to support UF’s mission.”
That mission is to continuously improve support for faculty, students and research. By doing so, the campaign has a direct impact on educational and business environments in Jacksonville.
The overall goal for the UF College of Medicine is $315 million from the capital campaign and portions of those funds will be used on facilities including UF & Shands Jacksonville and its Proton Therapy Institute. The expansive academic medical center employs a staff of over 3,300.
Jacksonville is also home to the regional campus of the UF Health Science Center. More than 1,500 UF faculty members, residents, fellows, students, administrators and staff work at the UF Health Science Center–Jacksonville and its four colleges — Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.
Shands Jacksonville may get most of the attention but there are other facilities that the capital campaign will affect. The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience is a part of storied tourist attraction and dolphin sanctuary, Marineland. The campaign goal for the laboratory is $4 million.
Fundraising for the campaign has been a bit surprising for attorney and chair of the Jacksonville Regional Campaign Council, Robert Harris.
“As a result of what is going on with the state being able to fund higher education people seem to be reaching pretty deep. They are still pretty pensive right now but still contributing,” said Harris. “There are just great connecting points here with Shands and the Proton Therapy Institute. Also we are finding that it’s not just alumni and athletics that are contributing. There are people who have done well in a particular area that are stepping forward and making big contributions.”
For more information go to www.floridatomorrow.ufl.edu.
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