JOHNSON CITY (Oct. 7, 2022) – During its annual Distinguished President’s Trust (DPT) dinner tonight, East Tennessee State University leaders provided an update on The Campaign for ETSU.
Announced in 2019, The Campaign for ETSU was the institution’s comprehensive capital campaign that set forth its original goal to raise $120 million. As Pamela Ritter, vice president for University Advancement and president/CEO of the ETSU Foundation reported to the DPT guests, the campaign raised over $163 million, surpassing the goal by more than $43 million.
“There is tremendous faith and respect for East Tennessee State University and for our mission to improve the quality of life of others,” Ritter said. “With The Campaign for ETSU, we invited each donor to reflect upon their dreams and aspirations for ETSU and to write their own story for what they want the future of our institution to be.
“Our initial goal of $120 million was certainly ambitious, and the fact that we not only met that goal but surpassed it by such a distinct margin – and did so during a global pandemic – demonstrates the confidence and support our alumni and this community have for ETSU,” she added.
The Campaign for ETSU established four primary pillars, or goals, that would transform the ETSU campus in a number of ways, noted Lt. Gen. Ron Hite, who chaired the campaign. These included creating new opportunities for students, launching additional academic programs, supporting enhancements to campus and new building projects and generating opportunities for ETSU faculty.
“A major focus of our work has always been to build opportunities for our students,” Hite said. “The success of The Campaign for ETSU will allow us to fund scholarships, graduate student stipends, and travel abroad experiences and also support the participation of our students at national conferences. These scholarships and other types of financial assistance make it possible for our students to pursue higher education, and we are grateful to our donors for paving the pathway to a college degree.”
Ritter added that while the campaign was officially announced in 2019, the silent phase of the campaign began in January 2017. By the time the campaign launched just over two years later, the university already had $50 million in commitments.
“During the early 1900s, this university was established as a result of a campaign to provide quality training for those who wanted to become public school teachers,” said ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland. “Through the years, this community continued to campaign for ETSU in robust ways, and through those efforts, we now have a medical school, a pharmacy school, several additional academic programs and new facilities, such as the Martin Center for the Arts and the recently renovated D.P. Culp Student Center.
“The presence of these programs and facilities has been transformative for our students, this campus, and our region, and tonight we celebrate the new chapters that will be written through this latest campaign,” he added. “Most importantly, we say thank you to those who made this possible.”
During the program, Noland reported that generous funding from Ballad Health has been used to create a number of new centers on campus that will provide enhanced research and teaching opportunities for ETSU faculty. These include the Center for Rural Health Research; the Strong BRAIN Institute; the Center for Pharmacy Education, Advocacy, and Outreach; and the Appalachian Highlands Center for Nursing Advancement.
The Campaign for ETSU has also supported some of the major building projects on campus, including the renovation of Lamb Hall and the creation of a new academic building, which is currently in the design phase.
“The Campaign for ETSU was a tremendous success – a success made possible by our alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents and members of the community, and their collective dream for the future of ETSU,” Ritter said.