UCF employees celebrated the success of believe, the 2012-13 Faculty & Staff campaign on Wednesday at the UCF FAIRWINDS Alumni Center.
President Hitt expressed pride as he announced the total raised, assisted by the UCF Spirit Team. “For this year’s campaign we set an ambitious goal of $1 million – and records are made to be broken, especially here at UCF.” He continued, “And we are about to unleash the sledgehammer!”
As each Spirit Team member turned over a number, the final total of $1,496,612 was revealed, setting a new record for campaign giving.
The month-long fundraising campaign enables UCF faculty and staff members to support the university’s strategic goals by giving annual or planned gifts.
Funds raised support a wide variety of programs of the donors’ choosing, including student scholarships, facility enhancement and many other important initiatives. Contributions made to the First Generation Scholarship program are matched by the state.
UCF Fund Director Heather Junod notes that the results of the campaign are significant not only for the funds raised, but for the high level of employee participation.
“UCF has one of the highest participation rates for a campaign of this kind and dollars raised make a big impact on the university,” she said. “The results of the campaign are also a great point of pride when we are out talking to potential donors in the community.”