• The University of Florida raised $4.6 billion as part of its ‘Go Greater’ campaign. 
• The initiative lasted eight years, beginning in 2014 and concluding at the end of 2022. 
• The university reports nearly 3,000 donors spanning all 50 states and each Florida county. 
• Through the raised funds, UF was able to facilitate university research, add faculty positions, and expand scholarship programs.
• By the end of the campaign, the University of Florida’s endowment had grown to $2.4 billion, up from $1.3 billion in 2014.

The University of Florida (UF) announced that it raised $4.6 billion through its ‘Go Greater’ campaign, an eight-year-long fundraising effort to raise funds for university research, faculty positions, and scholarship programs.

The university reports that nearly 3,000 donors spanning each Florida county and all 50 states contributed to the campaign, pushing its total endowment to $2.4 billion, a $1.1 billion increase from 2014. The total marks the most successful public education fundraising effort in Florida to date.

UF states that through the funding, it was able to facilitate a variety of research contributions across a wide range of subject areas including neuroscience, early education, and computer science.

Through donations, UF was able to establish 159 new endowed faculty positions, add 847 scholarships, and create 15 new teaching and learning centers.

The university also states that it was additionally able to create 600 new general faculty positions.

“These past eight years are a springboard for the next decade,” said Anita Zucker, chair of the UF Foundation’s executive board. “Because of this campaign and the alumni and friends who supported it, the University of Florida is one of the world’s truly great universities. And because of our university, we can all look toward the future with more optimism.”

The $4.6 billion brought in surpassed UF’s original goal of $3 billion when the campaign first launched. The ‘Go Greater’ initiative also exceeded the university’s three previous campaign totals: $1.7 billion in ‘Florida Tomorrow’ (2005-2012), $851 million in ‘It’s Performance that Counts’ (1996-2001), and $392 million in ‘Embrace Excellence’ (1985-1991).

As a result of the campaign, UF’s annual alumni giving rate — a major factor when calculating overall rankings — climbed to 20 percent, one of the highest in public higher education.

Enabled by the increased rate of donation, UF surpassed $1 billion in research spending for the first time last year.

With $1.076 billion in research expenditures, UF swamped in-state competition. Florida State University and the University of Miami, the next two highest-spending research schools in the state, both spend between $325 million and $350 million on research, respectively, according to the economic reports of both schools.

“Surpassing the $1 billion research milestone reflects UF’s continued rise as one of the leading research universities in the United States,” said university Vice President for Research David Norton. “But this number represents far more than dollars – it represents the value of these researchers’ remarkable intellect and talent and its impact on our state, our nation, and the world.”

Almost half of the research occurred in the six colleges of UF Health, led by the College of Medicine in Gainesville and Jacksonville with $347 million, the College of Public Health & Health Professions with $34.5 million, the College of Veterinary Medicine with $32.1 million, the College of Pharmacy with $31.4 million, the College of Dentistry with $17.2 million, and the College of Nursing with $5 million.

Researchers at the UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) in Gainesville and at research centers and extension offices throughout the state conducted $278 million in research, assisting the state’s agricultural industry in producing hundreds of commodities.

Meanwhile, the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering conducted $131.8 million in research on endeavors like the application of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, predicting and mitigating hurricane damage, and ensuring bridge and road safety.

The Capitolist attempted to reach the University of Florida for further information about the ‘Go Greater’ campaign but did not receive an immediate response.