Campaign Gains on Goal as Total TopS $800 Million

FAYETTEVILLE - The University of Arkansas Campaign for the Twenty-First Century has reached the $800 million level toward its $900 million goal on April 30, 2004. The total accounts for 234,324 gifts and pledges made to the U of A since the Campaign began July 1, 1998.

The $800,561,242 is 89 percent of the $900 million goal, raised in 82 percent of the time allotted for the drive.

Vice Chancellor for University Advancement G. David Gearhart said: "This is a wonderful accomplishment in fund raising for the University of Arkansas. If you exclude the monumental $300 million gift received in 2002, we have surpassed the original goal of $500 million. This success can be attributed to a hardworking staff, to the leadership of the deans, the chancellor and our volunteers, and to the unyielding support of alumni, friends, corporations and foundations with an interest in securing the future of the University of Arkansas and the State of Arkansas.

"Of course, receiving the $300 million gift raised the bar for everyone. It created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to maximize the impact of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century by creating a campaign within our campaign: The $300 Million Challenge."

The Challenge total stands at $170.8 million as of April 30, 2004.

Benefactors are also benefiting from the Matching Gift Program, which set aside funds to match gifts to create specific student and faculty endowments.

Said Gearhart: "While we have $100 million left to raise toward our overall Campaign goal, meeting The Challenge will require that we attain close to $130 million specifically for academic purposes, a very worthy goal. All in all, we're predicting a successful final year of the Campaign and expect that we will reach - and very likely exceed - our $900 million goal."

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University of Arkansas Campaign for the Twenty-First Century at a Glance

Campaign for the Twenty-First Century

• Begin date: July 1, 1998
• End date: June 30, 2005
• Current Goal: $900 million in private gift support through gifts and pledges for academic and athletic purposes
• Original Goal: $500 million in private gift support to academics and athletics by June 30, 2004.
• Leadership and dates of service - Co-chairs: Rob Walton 1998-1999, Tommy Boyer 1999-2002, Jim Walton 2002-2003, Frank Broyles 2003-2004, Tommy Boyer 2004-2005; Treasurer: Johnelle Hunt 1999-2005
• Amount raised as of April 30, 2004: $800.5 million
• Number of gifts and pledges: 234,324
• On the Web: http://pigtrail.uark.edu/depts/advancement/campaign.html

• Begin date: Jan. 1, 2002
• End date: June 30, 2005
• Goal: $300 million in private gift support though gifts and pledges for academic purposes to match the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation's $300 million gift.
• Amount raised as of April 30, 2004: $170,850,398
• Number of gifts and pledges: 68,695
• On the Web: http://pigtrail.uark.edu/depts/advancement/challenge.html

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G. David Gearhart, vice chancellor, Division of University Advancement (479) 575-6800 or gdgearh@uark.edu

Clay Edwards, associate vice chancellor Office of University Development (479) 575-5362 or cedwards@uark.edu

Laura H. Jacobs, manager of development communications Office of University Relations (479) 575-7422 or lherzog@uark.edu