Vice President for University Advancement Jonathan Meer announced that as of July 31, Together We Can: The Campaign for Scholarship had raised $19,644,297 in gifts and pledges, including planned gifts, surpassing the initial target by more than 30%.
The effort to raise student scholarship funds was launched in October 2018 with a goal of $15 million. A $200,000 challenge grant from OceanFirst Foundation in June, which helped generate an additional $456,969 in new gifts and pledges, as well as a $4 million trust commitment from alumnus Don Bressler ’61, and his wife, Hedy, formalized in July, propelled the fundraising effort past the $19 million mark in the final months of the campaign.
“The success of this campaign will support our ongoing efforts to attract exceptional students from economically, geographically, and culturally diverse backgrounds,” said Monmouth University President Patrick F. Leahy. “I am thrilled to begin the new school year with this tremendous accomplishment, and I want to extend my sincere thanks and congratulations to former University President Grey Dimenna, who launched this campaign, and all of the volunteers, especially trustees and campaign co-chairs Valerie Montecalvo and Carol Stillwell.”
The scholarship campaign engaged a team of volunteers representing varied constituent groups on campus, including parents, alumni, representatives from each academic area, faculty, retired faculty and staff, students, trustees, and former trustees. All gifts and pledges made to scholarships from July 2017 through July 2019 were included in the final tally.
“We were fortunate to secure nearly unanimous participation from our Board of Trustees, and broad support from faculty and staff, with almost $700,000 committed by University employees,” said Meer. “We are so grateful to our Monmouth family and friends for joining in this effort and continuing our rich tradition of supporting student success in a meaningful way.”
To learn more about Together We Can: The Campaign for Scholarship visit monmouth.edu/together.