Nature & Nurture | Campaign News

Nicholas School Surpasses Campaign Goal, But 'Buckets' Still Need to be Filled

The Nicholas School surpassed its campaign goal of $60 million on Dec. 20 through the generosity of alumni and friends.

"On behalf of the entire Nicholas School community, I want to thank each donor for his or her generosity to the campaign," said Peggy Dean Glenn, associate dean for external affairs at the Nicholas School. "The financial support of individuals and organizations enables the school to excel in the arena of environmental education where expectations are high and quality is paramount."

"We are thrilled to pass our dollar goal a full year before the end of the campaign," said Sally Kleberg, chair of the Nicholas School Campaign Committee. "What a wonderful holiday gift for our students, faculty, and staff. I would also like to add my thanks to all the donors, staff, board members and volunteers who made this dream a reality. It was a huge and unselfish effort on the part of everyone involved and our success demonstrates our dedication to the school and our belief in its mission.

"On the day that the goal was surpassed, the school received 17 gifts to the Annual Fund and three restricted gifts. It is the men and women who have made the decision to continue to invest at every level in the work of the Nicholas School who have made this feat possible, said Kleberg.

Gifts from the campaign already are working to strengthen the Nicholas School by supporting endowed professorships, student scholarships, faculty research, academic programs and other projects.

Kleberg said that raising $60 million, though a great accomplishment, will carry the school only so far toward its goal. "While we have raised more than we anticipated by this time, we have not yet accomplished what we have called 'filling all the buckets,' which means funding every priority identified at the start of the campaign."

Through a strategic planning process, critical needs were identified and prioritized at the school, with fellowship support identified as the number one priority. In addition, completing the funding for the Ocean Sciences Teaching Center and continued growth in the annual fund and endowment are essential, said Kleberg.

"We see this as a short intermission." said Kleberg. "We've completed act one, now on to act two."