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Donors lauded at Campaign for Delaware Gala The Campaign Gala at the Bob on Saturday evening, May 7, brought together members of the Delaware Diamonds and Legacy societies to officially celebrate a fund-raising effort that exceeded its goal by more than $200 million. UD Board of Trustees Chairman Howard E. Cosgrove opened his remarks by congratulating the more than 400 UD benefactors at the gala on the success of The Campaign for Delaware. Our initial goal was set at $225 million, an ambitious goal for a University that had not previously embarked on a major comprehensive fund-raising effort, Cosgrove said. Im extremely happy to report that goal has been exceeded by $200 million, with gifts and pledges now at the $425 million level! The response from you, our alumni and friends, has been significant and heartfelt.
Cosgrove also recognized the efforts of UD President David P. Roselle and his wife, Louise, whom he described as being a couple who provide an unbeatable team of insight, intelligence, thoughtfulness and graciousness. After a standing ovation for President and Mrs. Roselle, Cosgrove also cited the contributions to The Campaigns success by the Office of Development, under the leadership of Bob Davis, as well as the efforts of the Office of Public Relations, directed by Mary Hempel. Cosgrove praised the leadership and the vision of Roselle in conducting a campaign that far exceeded its original goal. It has been said that leadership is the ability of a single individual through his or her actions to motivate us towards the higher levels of achievement, Cosgrove said. Tonight I would like to present to you the leader who has brought his Modest beginnings to resounding success In expressing his gratitude for UDs many generous friends, many of whom were present at the gala, Roselle said that remarkable seemed an inadequate word to describe the gifts and pledges of more than $425 million. Thank you, Howard, for detailing the fact that we are much better at raising money, than we are at prediction, Roselle said. Roselle noted that many of the evenings guests also attended the kick-off celebration, when The Campaign for Delaware began with the announcement that $67 million had been collected toward the original goal of $225 million. It seemed like a daunting challenge then, but I recall the room was filled with excitement, energy and hope, Roselle said. Our expectations were high--and it turns out well-justified. Your interest, your support and your gifts, have been the key to our success. Roselle also thanked members of the Board of Trustees, as well as the members of the Delaware Diamonds and Legacy societies, and especially noted employee donors in those societies, including UD faculty, staff and retirees. He also announced the creation of two new gift societies: Before dinner, a video, created by Information TechnologiesUniversity Media Services, was screened featuring the interaction between faculty mentoring and student discovery. Throughout the evening, a slide show featuring UD faculty whose recognition as named professors was made possible by the success of The Campaign for Delaware, also was presented. The slide show also featured major campus construction projects that benefited from The Campaign for Delaware, including the new Center for the Arts and the Laird Campus residence halls project both now under construction, as well as UDs new research vessel scheduled to arrive this fall. After the video and slide show presentations, Roselle thanked UD friends and alumni now living in every state and many foreign countries. In recalling the initial planning for The Campaign for Delaware, Roselle drew upon the words of President Woodrow Wilson, who said, We grow great by dreams. Our commitment when we announced The Campaign for Delaware was fueled by a dream of what this University could be. I told you then that we had put our house in order, that the University was taking care of business and that we were ready to position the University for greater pre-eminence in the 21st Century, Roselle said. It was my dream that The Campaign for Delaware would allow us to do that. Im here tonight to tell you that the Universitys house has been transformed! Evidence of this transformation, Roselle said, can be seen in the increase in the number of named professors from 21 in 1998 to 105 now because of The Campaign. Roselle also called attention to many campus building projects made possible by The Campaign, including the $48 million Center for the Arts. This project, which is now under construction next to the Amy E. du Pont Music Building, will house performance and rehearsal space for both the music department and the Professional Theatre Training Program, as well as a number of individual practice rooms, offices and even a rehearsal room big enough for the entire [350-member] UD Marching Band, Roselle said. To date, approximately $30 million has been raised through private funding. I thank you for your continuing support, Roselle said, adding Since we are here to celebrate the success of the capital campaign and since success begets success, I ask you to consider an additional gift to the Center for the Arts so that our victory lap, too, may claim victory. In thanking the guests for their continuing support of UD and its mission, Roselle shared individual some stories of individual donors and their special gifts, including outstanding individual contributions including: These are just of few of the many stories that could be told, Roselle said. Thank you for coming this evening, and thank you for your continuing commitment. Your friendship and support of the University of Delaware are deeply appreciated and gratefully accepted. The Campaign for Delaware Gala, which began with an invocation by Rev. Michael Szupper, director of the St. Thomas More Oratory at UD, concluded with a benediction by Laura Lee Wilson, who is retiring as director and campus pastor of the Wesley Foundation Campus Ministry at UD. Special entertainment during the evening included performances by the University of Delaware Marching Band, under the direction of Heidi Sarver, associate professor of music; the University of Delaware Chorale, under the direction of Paul Head, associate professor of music; and violinist Xiang Gao, assistant professor of music, performing on the Ceruti violin and accompanied by pianist Julie Nishimura. For the evening, The Bob itself was dressed to the nines. A recreation of the brick Diamond Walkway at Old College greeted guests in the lobby, which also sported cherry trees, hydrangeas, rhododendrons and azaleas. The Acierno Arena was draped in colorful banners bearing the Universitys logo and the words The Campaign for Delaware, and cut roses in shades of pink and rose adorned the tables. Article by Jerry Rhodes To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |