A "victory lap" has been added to the Campaign for Delaware, President David P. Roselle announced, to provide an opportunity for celebration and continued giving with a specific focus on the University's proposed Center for the Arts.

The exceptionally successful Campaign for Delaware was launched in October 1998 as a five-year, $225 million fund-raising effort. When the final numbers are tallied at the end of 2004, the Campaign will have generated more than $400 million and infused fresh funds into an endowment now at $1 billion.

The Campaign also will have changed the campus landscape. Original plans for The Green devised in the early 20th Century have been completed with the addition of Gore Hall and the reconstruction of DuPont Hall. The Delaware Biotechnology Institute is providing leading-edge research facilities for UD faculty members who are counted among the nation's premier scientists.

In athletics, Rullo Stadium has been an important addition to the sports complex, providing the state's only artificial turf field for use by UD and area high school field hockey and lacrosse programs.

The Campaign also has led to an energized faculty and a stronger class of students.

The Campaign has positioned the University of Delaware for the future, Roselle says, providing ongoing revenue streams and a new sense of confidence in the institution.

The Center for the Arts, which will house two theatres, rehearsal and exhibit space and offices, will be located next to the Amy E. du Pont Music Building on Orchard Road. The site on which the center will be constructed is now a parking lot, and those spaces will be accommodated in a 715-car garage to be constructed on a vacant field near the new center off Elkton Road.

The fund-raising effort for the Center for the Arts is off to a strong start with a $10 million gift from the Unidel Foundation.