Methodist University Celebrates $41.2 Million Raised for “Campaign for Methodist University – Building Excellence”

Methodist University celebrated the official end of the Campaign for Methodist University – Building Excellence Oct. 20, 2016. The largest fundraising initiative in the University’s history, the campaign surpassed its $35 million goal and raised a University-record $41,266,820. The final campaign total was announced at the celebration.

“This is a celebration of excellence,” said President Ben Hancock. “If you look at the support that’s come to this campaign, a record number of support, record number of donors, record participation from alumni, faculty and staff, and so many, and then you look at the leadership of this campaign … In part we celebrate the impact that philanthropy has on a culture of excellence. Philanthropy is just a vehicle to be successful to those three platforms of a culture of excellence: people, programs, and facilities.”

Campaign and Board of Trustees Chair Mary Lynn Bryan called the close of the campaign a “wonderful 60th birthday gift” for Methodist.

“We could do this because there was a wonderful opportunity and a very special convergence of need, energy, vision, experience, dedication, and just plain moxie,” she said. “Our University president gave us a lot of it. He is a spectacular leader, visionary, and a terrific fundraiser.”

The campaign raised money for scholarships, endowed faculty positions, academic programs, campus life enhancements, new and renovated academic buildings, and expanded athletic facilities. The capital projects in the campaign include:

  • The Professional Nursing Building (Dedicated Dec. 6, 2012)
  • Armstrong Baseball Fieldhouse (Dedicated Nov. 14, 2015)
  • The Thomas R. McLean Health Sciences Building (Dedicated Oct. 20, 2016)
  • Sharon and Ron Matthews Ministry Center (Groundbreaking 2016)
  • Gene Clayton Tennis Center (Groundbreaking 2016)
  • John M. Reeves Fine Arts Building Renovation
  • Linda and Ralph Huff Concert Hall
  • Nancy and Murray Duggins Theatre
  • Union-Zukowski Lobby and Gallery
  • Student Union and Berns Center Renovation and Expansion
  • New Football, Track and Field, and Lacrosse Stadium
  • Soccer Facility Renovation and Expansion
  • Golf Facilities Expansion and the Golf Education Center
  • Price Softball Fieldhouse

The celebration was held in the new Thomas R. McLean Health Sciences Building, one of several construction projects included in the campaign. The building was also formally dedicated at the event. The event included remarks from University trustees and administrators, Student Government Association President Jason Sparrow, and Thomas R. and Elizabeth E. McLean Foundation representative Jennifer Cleveland Elam. The McLean Foundation provided the naming gift for the Health Sciences Building.

This McLean Building is home to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, which admitted the first students in the fall of 2015 and is the first doctoral-level program for the University. The Doctor of Occupational Therapy program is slated to begin in fall of 2018 and will also be located in the Health Sciences Building.

The campaign broke many University records, with 4,467 individual donors contributing 19,199 donations.

Other completed projects include the Armstrong Baseball Fieldhouse, which was dedicated on Nov. 14, 2015. Phase 1 of the football campaign was completed in 2015 with the renovation of the weight room and Phase 2 was recently completed over the summer with the locker room addition.

The next projects to begin will be the Gene Clayton Tennis Center, the Sharon and Ron Matthews Ministry Center, and the Union Zukowski Lobby and Gallery. The University plans to break ground on these projects this year.

In addition to bricks and mortar, the campaign also raised money for endowment and operating funds. Many of the goals included in the campaign were related to the Master Plan, a comprehensive 20-year guide for campus growth and development approved in 2012, the first of its kind for the University.

For more information on the Campaign for Methodist University – Building Excellence, contact the Advancement Office at 910.630.7609.

Campaign Nears the $39 Million Mark

Methodist University announced it welcomed one of the largest student enrollments in University history at its Fall Opening Convocation on Aug. 26. President Ben Hancock Jr. also announced that the Campaign for Methodist University – Building Excellence has almost reached $39 million, surpassing its $35 million goal. The final campaign figure will be announced in October, when the University celebrates the official end of the largest capital campaign in its history.

“Methodist University has a total enrollment of 2,499 students this semester,” Hancock said. “That is almost a record total enrollment, and it includes a record number of graduate students and a record number of international students, with 205 undergraduate students coming from 68 different countries. Thanks to our new Doctor of Physical Therapy Program welcoming its second cohort of students this year, our graduate student enrollment has grown to 280 students.”

New students began classes Monday after a four-day orientation, which also included a group service project. On Saturday, Aug. 20, the incoming freshmen packed 100,000 meals for nonprofit international aid organization Stop Hunger Now. Orientation wrapped up Sunday evening with the New Monarchs Banquet, where students were formally introduced to the University Honor Code and received pins or bracelets with the University Seal.

“Methodist continues to benefit from its signature people, programs and facilities,” Hancock said. “Our culture of excellence is defined by the outstanding faculty and staff who put students first while delivering a relevant and distinctive education. The record numbers again this year are evidence that Methodist continues to get it right.”

In his State of the University address, Hancock also spoke about initiatives and celebrations that will be underway this year, like the 60th anniversary of the University’s charter. He announced the creation of a task force to formalize the Institute for Sport Science and Wellness, chaired by Associate Professor of Physical Education and Exercise Science Dr. Jamie Robbins and Assistant Professor of Athletic Training Brandon Reynolds.

Methodist was founded Nov. 1, 1956, when then-named Methodist College was chartered by the state of North Carolina as a senior, coeducational, residential college of liberal arts and sciences. The University will be marking this anniversary all year, but especially during the days surrounding MU’s Homecoming weekend, Oct. 21-22. This year, the University is also celebrating its newest program, Engineering, which recently received its formal approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The University has seen success in fundraising over the past year with record numbers of overall donors, record alumni giving, and faculty and staff giving. The University continues to build new facilities funded by the Campaign for Methodist University – Building Excellence. The University will break ground on the Gene Clayton Tennis Center in September and on the Sharon and Ron Matthews Ministry Center in December.

This October, the University will also mark the 20th anniversary of the Physician Assistant (PA) Program, with a special PA alumni event on Oct. 8. The PA Program received 623 applications* for admission this year for the 40 available slots offered in each new cohort.

The DPT and PA programs are two of several programs in the School of Health Sciences, which is also enjoying record enrollment. Another example is the Professional Nursing Studies Program, which was established in 2010 with its own facility and simulation hospital, and which this year accepted a record number of 46 upperclassmen into its nursing program. Students must apply to the program during their freshmen and sophomore years, when they are considered pre-nursing.

The Thomas R. McLean Health Sciences Building, home to the DPT program, was opened on April 1 and will be dedicated on Oct. 20 at the celebration of the Campaign for Methodist University – Building Excellence.

The newest School of Health Sciences program is the proposed Occupational Therapy (OT) doctorate, slated to begin in Fall 2018. MU recently hired the program’s inaugural director and chair, Dr. Meredith Gronski, who comes to Methodist from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., where she was an assistant professor of occupational therapy and otolaryngology.

* The University received a record number of inquiries for the P.A. program (1,106 inquiries). The number of verified applications is 623.

Methodist University Announces Two Major Gifts

Methodist University is pleased to announce two recent major gifts to the Campaign for Methodist University – Building Excellence.

Margaret Ann Player and her family have made a gift of $100,000 to name the Ensemble Rehearsal Room in the Sharon and Ron Matthews Ministry Center in memory of her late husband Richard Player Jr. Mr. Player, who passed away in 2015, served as a trustee of the university for 16 years and built many of the buildings on campus through his company Player, Inc. Mrs. Player is a founding member of the university’s Friends of Music group and of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. Mr. and Mrs. Player were awarded the University Medallion in 2014 for their long and distinguished service to Methodist University. Read more

Methodist University Capital Campaign Surpasses the $34 Million Mark

Methodist University is pleased to announce a recent major gift from a local alumnus, pushing the campaign total over the $34 million mark and moving toward the campaign goal of $35 million. The exact total raised to date is $34,161,424, with a year remaining until the end of the campaign in 2016.

Murray Duggins and his wife Nancy pledged $300,000 to the Reeves Fine Arts Building project to build the Nancy and Murray Duggins Theatre, which will be a venue for theatrical productions and performances. Read more

“The Campaign for Methodist University – Building Excellence” Surpasses the $33 Million Mark

Methodist University is pleased to announce that more than $33 million has been raised toward the campaign goal of $35 million, which is 94 percent of the goal. The exact total raised to date is $33,093,184.

With 16 months left until the end of the campaign on June 20, 2016, the University has made excellent progress in its largest-ever capital campaign. Methodist’s faculty and staff have also shown their support for the campaign in record participation numbers. Read more

Methodist University Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

Methodist University broke ground Thursday, Oct. 16, on the new Thomas R. McLean Health Sciences Building, a 34,000-square-foot facility that will house programs in the School of Health Sciences, including the new Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program. The project, which met its $5.5 million fundraising goal, is expected to be finished by Fall 2015, in time for the DPT Program’s first class of students. An additional proposed program in Occupational Therapy is also being planned for a later date. Read more

Armstrong Baseball Fieldhouse Named in Honor of Carolyn and George Armstrong

Methodist University is pleased to announce that Carolyn and George Armstrong have donated a major gift to Methodist University to build a baseball fieldhouse. The facility’s name will be Armstrong Fieldhouse at Armstrong-Shelly Field.

The gift was announced on Saturday, Sept. 6 at a ceremony attended by the Armstrong family, friends, students, athletes, coaches, faculty, staff and members of the community. Read more

Methodist University Announces $2.5 Million Gift from Sharon and Ron Matthews for World Ministry Center

At Opening Convocation on Friday, Aug. 22, Methodist University President Ben E. Hancock Jr. announced Sharon and Ron Matthews’ donation of $2.5 million to build the World Ministry Center (artist rendering) on the University’s campus.

“Never in our world has the need for peace been more apparent,” said Ron Matthews. “The need is great for the creature to recognize and connect with the Creator. The World Ministry Center at Methodist University will be a place of worship, peace, and reconciliation. It will enhance all students’ experience on campus and in the world. It is important for a well-balanced experience and a rich spiritual life.” Read more

“The Campaign for Methodist University – Building Excellence” Surpasses the $27 Million Mark

FAYETTEVILLE, NC—Methodist University is pleased to announce that more than $27 million has been raised towards the campaign goal of $35 million, which is 79% of the goal. The exact total raised to date is $27,663,130.

Additionally, the $5.5 million goal for the Thomas R. McLean Health Sciences Building has been met thanks to a $500,000 gift from the families of brothers Norwood and David Bryan, as well as a $1.2 million gift from Ramon Yarborough, which included a $200,000 challenge to fellow members of the University’s Board of Trustees, which has been achieved. Read more

Methodist University Announces $1 Million Gift from Terri Union and Carlos Zukowski

FAYETTEVILLE, NC—Methodist University is pleased to announce that Terri Union and Carlos Zukowski have donated $1 million to Methodist University in support of a Judaic studies endowment and the fine arts. The gift was announced on Wednesday, April 16 at annual Awards Convocation.

The gift will support three distinct projects. The Union-Zukowski Judaic Studies Endowment will provide funding for guest lecturers, programs on international issues (symposiums, concerts, and theater productions), mission trips, art exhibitions, and visits to historic sites such as the Holocaust Museum. Read more

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