Purdue University wants to know if its alumni are "ever true."
A $2 billion fundraising campaign to support students, faculty, academic programs and facilities is underway at Purdue, the university announced at a private ceremony Friday during the President's Council. "Ever True: The Campaign for Purdue University" started its silent phase in 2012 and will wrap up in 2019, the institution's 150th anniversary.
As of July 1, Purdue had raised $900 million, nearly half of its goal, said Amy Noah, vice president for development.
The silent phase "allows an institution to start to build momentum," she said, "to really do some feasibility and to understand the likelihood of a large campaign."
The effort isn't the first for Purdue and it's not the only one taking place in the state. Indiana University made public last month a $2.5 billion campaign that will wrap up in 2020 to celebrate the institution's bicentennial.
Purdue has surpassed its fundraising goal in all three of its multiyear efforts, dating back to 1980. Former university President Martin Jischke launched the most recent and first billion-dollar campaign in 2001, which surpassed its goal by $400 million, according to information from Gregory Kapp, assistant vice president of development operations.
Money is big in higher education. As state funding for higher education continues to decline — funding at Purdue has decreased more than $20 million between 2008-2014 — hikes in tuition rates and catchy campaigns have become the norm. Charitable donations to colleges reached $38 billion in 2014 — an all-time high, according to Inside Higher Ed.
Last year, Purdue raised $343 million in donations, surpassing a previous record set in 2003. But President Mitch Daniels said his university, unlike others, can make the case that money donated will be well spent.