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Summer 2003

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Quiet Phase Nears End of Year Two, Crucial Third Year Around the Corner
By Tom Wirth

Villanova University is on schedule to meet a key financial benchmark of $69.1 million which will solidify important early contributions for the new capital campaign, Transforming Minds and Hearts: The Campaign for Villanova. Charged with providing strategic guidance to The Campaign, the University's Steering Committee is in the process of assessing important factors concerning Villanova's future needs and will soon make critical decisions about the ultimate Campaign goal and the timing of the public launch in 2003.

As The Campaign moves out of the second year of its quiet phase, the Committee continues to receive favorable responses from key supporters regarding the University's overall needs statement. With sustained reinforcement, the Committee will work to further expand its base of support and align appropriate funding categories with priorities outlined in the University's 10-year strategic plan. During the all-essential third and final year of the silent period, the key task for the Committee will be to set up a final confirmation of Campaign objectives and to address the viability of the initial $200 million working goal.            

Commenting on the progress of The Campaign as this decisive second year of the quiet phase winds down, Campaign chairman Gerald S.J. Cassidy, Esq. '63, noted that "The Campaign is off to a very successful start. The gifts secured at the million dollar level and above are ahead of pace and consistent with reaching our overall goals for support. This will certainly give us an advantage as we move forward to the next phase."

The Steering Committee functions as the catalyst for Villanova's philanthropic operation. Formed at the behest of Villanova president Rev. Edmund J. Dobbin, O.S.A. '58 and the University Board of Trustees in December of 2000, the Committee manages the decentralized volunteer structures that are necessary to the execution and completion of the total fundraising process. In essence, they are leading the effort to turn the initial Campaign fundraising goal of $200 million into a reality, while serving as the impetus behind drawing out support for The Campaign and as an interpreter and buffer between the University's development officials and its benefactors.

"Our Steering Committee is comprised of an impressive group of individuals, who are well-accomplished in the business world. We rely on them to provide structure to the Campaign, to lay out strategy, and to help attract the appropriate support necessary for the Campaign's success. Most importantly, they take an active role in building relationships to gauge the interests of our supporters and to ensure that these interests are within the necessary parameters we will require to meet our final objectives," stated university president the Rev. Edmund J. Dobbin, O.S.A. '58.

Since the last capital campaign (The Villanova Campaign) ended in 1997, the University has benefited from a resiliency of support. Many donors, some of whom fulfilled commitments in the last campaign, have stepped up and expressed an interest in making a contribution to the University at this crucial building stage of The Campaign¾a sign that Villanova's needs are merging with the interests of its donors and that a connection has been made around a common goal to provide the University with the necessary financial tools to compete with top catholic institutions at the national level.

"As a result of our early levels of support we have been able to get ahead of the curve in this Campaign, and we fully anticipate meeting our year two benchmark. We have also been able to secure significantly larger financial commitments compared to our last campaign, demonstrating that our needs statement is indeed resonating well with many of our key donors and that our overall base of external support is expanding," explained John M. Elizandro, vice president for Institutional Advancement. 

Despite a tough economic climate, the philanthropy that has long been a part of the Villanova tradition has not wavered. The University's alumni, parents, and friends have continued to take a vested interest in creating an atmosphere where both the Augustinian legacy and a superior educational experience work in unison to mold an intelligent and dynamic group of students. This enthusiasm for Villanova, from everyone involved in the life of the community, is part of the reason that the University is fast emerging as one of the most recognizable Catholic universities in the country. 

"Villanova has meant a great deal to me; it gave me a foundation on which to build. From that foundation I was able to build and further my education beyond Villanova and to learn, grow and succeed in the business world. I think there is an obligation on the part of people like myself to give something back so that other kids can come and have a similar kind of experience here," remarked James C. Curvey '57, vice chairman for The Campaign.

The primary objective delineated in the University's 10-year strategic plan, and the central priority of The Campaign, is to increase overall endowment levels. Over the course of the past 25 years Villanova, once considered a regional university, has worked to build its endowment to become competitive on a national scale. However, to have the best chance at competing for the nation's finest students with such venerated Catholic universities as Boston College, Georgetown University, and Notre Dame University, Villanova will have to be successful in garnering multiple high-end financial commitments to ensure its long-term viability as an elite institution. 

Committee member James F. Orr III '65, observed that, "Villanova is undercapitalized and therefore at a competitive disadvantage against its overlap schools. We are in the same marketplace for the best students and the best faculty as these other schools. We need the resources to be able to offer the best students a competitive financial aid package. We need to attract faculty who can excite and motivate students and who have the kind of national reputation that will help in recruiting and retaining other talented faculty."

To reach a higher level of educational excellence, the University has embarked upon a rigorous fundraising schedule over the last quarter century with the specific intent of expanding endowment. The driving force behind the effort has been the capital campaign, including the Covenant I Campaign, the Covenant II Campaign, The Villanova Campaign and the current campaign, Transforming Minds and Hearts: The Campaign for Villanova. Since the Covenant I Campaign ran from 1976-1981 the University has seen tremendous growth in its volunteer base and a marked increase in support in all of its major fundraising categories. Equally important, the University's donation levels have also grown.

For example, the most numerous gifts contributed to The Villanova Campaign, which ran from 1991-1997, were in the $1 million range. Compare that to the Covenant II Campaign, which ran from 1983-1987, where the most frequent gifts ran between fifty and one hundred thousand dollars. The pattern here is one of increasing support at the leadership and major gifts levels, which has helped provide Villanova with an opportunity to not only enlarge endowment, but also to establish faculty chairs and professorships, fund scholarships to recognize student achievement, and improve the physical appearance of the campus through renovation and new construction.

In order for Transforming Minds and Hearts: The Campaign for Villanova to meet its initial working goal and to continue facilitating these kinds of enhancements, the University will count on the infusion of multi-million dollar financial commitments to pave the way for success. "Leadership gifts at the million dollar level and above are critical in establishing momentum. It is vital for a school like Villanova that has never had a campaign of this size before to demonstrate that there are alumni who are able and willing to give at that level," stated Committee member Terence M. O'Toole '80.

In order for leadership and major gifts to function in a more enduring fashion, Villanova gives donors the chance to assume ownership over their contributions through named gift opportunities. Named gift opportunities allow donors to endow a particular area within the institution, such as a faculty chair or a presidential scholarship, which in turn helps the University plan aggressively for the future knowing that resources exist in perpetuity to sustain needed programs and services. Furthermore, Villanova has crafted strategic named gift opportunities as an important way to link the names of prominent benefactors to the heritage and tradition of Villanova. 

The Campaign for Villanova offers an unprecedented amount of named gift endowment opportunities, including the endowment of the College of Commerce and Finance, the Performing Arts Center, the Athletics and Convocation Center, the Health Center, and many other faculty, student, and program opportunities. Securing support for the various named gift opportunities is a key to guaranteeing the ultimate success of the Campaign and will provide much needed leverage for Villanova to become more competitive in the national arena.    

Mr. Curvey best summed up the spirit of giving that exists at Villanova today: "This country has been built on people acting as philanthropists, people giving of their money or their time. And that's really important. Every day of the week in this country it's unbelievable what you'll see in terms of people giving back. I think that we have an obligation, a direct obligation, to provide financial help to build the endowment so that Villanova can fulfill the hopes and dreams of students and faculty that are here today and those who will be here for generations to come."