Southeast Allegheny News

Robert Morris University issued the following announcement.

The Ready to Rise campaign has brought in more than $100 million for scholarships, academic programs, and new facilities.

The university publicly unveiled the RMU 100: Ready to Rise campaign on November 12, 2019, with the goal to raise $100 million by time of RMU’s 100th anniversary on September 21, 2021. The university surpassed that fundraising milestone last week, raising $100,256,000 in gifts and pledges thus far.

“We are humbled and grateful at the generosity of our donors, who contributed to the university even in the midst of a global pandemic and recession,” said RMU President Chris Howard. “It is a testament to how much this community cares about our students, who are the biggest beneficiaries of this campaign.”

Donors to the Ready to Rise campaign include RMU alumni, faculty and staff, parents and students, and corporations and foundations. All told, the campaign has 14,700 donors to date who have given an average gift of $6,820. The Ready to Rise campaign has taken in more than twice as much as the university’s previous campaign, Changing Lives, Building Futures, which ended in 2012 and raised $40.5 million.

“This is a moment of great pride for Robert Morris University, and one in which we can all share,” said Richard J. Harshman, chair of the RMU Board of Trustees and a 1978 graduate of the university. “RMU has not only transformed the lives of students and alumni like me, but it has also transformed all of our communities.”

During the Ready to Rise campaign, the value of RMU’s endowment has grown by $16 million, and much of that money funds scholarships. Major projects and initiatives funded by the campaign include:

• The UPMC Events Center, a sports, entertainment, and conference center which opened in May 2019 and is home to RMU’s NCAA Division I basketball and volleyball teams.
• An income share agreement program, called the Colonial Success Fund, that helps students finance their education while reducing traditional student loan debt.
• An expansion and renovation of the John Jay Center for the School of Engineering, Mathematics and Science, which includes new engineering laboratories and classrooms.
• Scaife Hall, which is home to RMU’s nursing and other health care programs, including the state-of-art Research and Innovation in Simulation Education Center.
• The university’s first endowed professorship, the Richard J. Harshman Professorship of Accounting, supported by a $1 million contribution from Allegheny Technologies Incorporated in honor of Harshman, ATI’s retired chairman, president, and CEO.
• The Student Recreation and Fitness Center, which includes intramural basketball courts, a weight and cardio rooms, space for fitness classes, as well as locker rooms and outdoor courts, all for general student use.

"RMU is a special place. This campaign is a testament to the generosity and dedication of the university's alumni and friends who believed in this ambitious vision. As a family, we've ensured that the future is bright for RMU,” said Matthew Millet, RMU vice president for development and a 1999 graduate of the university.

Original source can be found here.