Ohio State received more than $374 million in donations during the 2013 fiscal year.
The “But for Ohio State” campaign is now more than halfway to its $2.5 billion goal, due to donations from nearly 228,300 alumni and other donors this year.
The campaign raised $365 million in 2012, about 2.5 percent less than the 2013 total. Meanwhile, University of Michigan raised $288 million during fiscal year 2012, and Purdue University raised $227.3 million in the 2010-2011 fiscal year, according to their respective websites.
The campaign raised $57.5 million for student scholarships and aid in 2013 as part of the $100 million Ohio Scholarship Challenge. The Challenge aims to create a full scholarship in each of the 88 Ohio counties and support other alumni club scholarships.
Other priority areas this year were faculty ($118.3 million), facilities ($35.2 million), research ($111 million) and innovation ($35.4 million).
Forty-five donors gave $1 million or more this year, including Sam Covelli, owner and CEO of Covelli Enterprises, a franchisee of Panera and O’Charley’s. Covelli’s gift of $10 million to the OSU Department of Athletics will assist in the construction of a multisport arena.
“With a son who graduated from Ohio State and a daughter who is entering her freshman year this fall along with (owning) businesses in Columbus, we realize how special a place The Ohio State University is both academically and athletically under the great leadership of Gene Smith,” Covelli said in an email.
The OSU Alumni Association has also played a large part in the campaign thus far by instituting a universal alumni membership model that in turn increased the amount of alumni donations, with nearly $79.7 million in donations coming from alumni.
The campaign’s progress this year will allow for new innovations at OSU, interim OSU President Joseph Alutto said.
“Thanks to the generosity and goodwill of many, Ohio State will take the next important step in our university’s tradition of finding solutions to grand challenges,” Alutto said in a released statement.
The campaign is run by the OSU Foundation. Michael Eicher, senior vice president of advancement and president of the OSU Foundation, said the fundraising is a “testament” to donors’ support of OSU’s research and other initiatives.