The university, which is Butler County’s largest employer through its main Oxford campus and regional schools in Hamilton and Middletown, has attracted wide attention for years with consistently high national academic rankings and top tier quality of student life scores.
The 2022 calendar year shattered the previous record for single year giving, receiving more than $103 million in gifts, grants, and pledges, said Miami officials.
The previous yearly record was $93.7 million in 2016.
The record-breaking year included the kickoff of Miami’s largest comprehensive campaign in the university’s history entitled: “For love. For honor. For those who will.”
At the end of 2022, the $1 billion campaign reached the $600 million mark, a milestone that Miami University President Gregory Crawford attributes to the support of Miami’s alumni, corporate supporters, and faculty and staff.
“The outpouring of support given to this campaign emphasizes the spirit of Love and Honor in our community,” Crawford wrote in a statement recently released by the school.
“Miami is grateful to our dedicated alumni and supporters who continue to demonstrate their support and commitment to the university, our faculty and staff, and students.”
Officials at Miami, which also has a Learning Center in West Chester Twp., have attributed at least some of the uptick in fundraising to the overall receding of the COVID-19 pandemic and the havoc the virus played on Miami’s operations in 2020-2021 and the early portion of the 2021-2022 school year.
The school’s University Advancement raised more than $103 million in new gifts and pledges from Jan. 1, 2022, to Dec. 31, 2022.
Scholarship fundraising accounted for nearly half of 2022′s total, with $52.3 million raised. This includes an expanded gift from John Metz ‘57 and his husband, Ali Khan, whose $46 million bequest is the largest individual gift in Miami’s history and is designated for scholarships in support of financially disadvantaged students who are Pell Grant eligible.
In addition, University Advancement received $52.9 million in cash gifts, the third highest cash total in its history.
Brad Bundy, vice president for University Advancement, said he is determined not only to break records in 2023, but also to show more donors how they can help make a transformational impact for future generations by supporting the school through donations.
“Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Miami donor family, we are building powerful momentum for the campaign,” Bundy said. “I am confident that we will continue to accelerate support for the campaign as we engage more alumni, supporters, and friends who want to invest in transforming the future with us.”
About the Author
