BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — Florida Atlantic University says it has closed its first comprehensive fundraising campaign in more than two decades, reporting a total of $617,376,995.44 raised through “Transcend Tomorrow: The Campaign for Florida Atlantic University.”
University leaders said more than 65,000 alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends contributed to the effort, which supported every college and unit across FAU. The campaign prioritized three areas: scholarships and student success, health care training and research, and environmental programs.
President Adam Hasner thanked donors and credited former president John Kelly for helping shape the long-term vision that drove the campaign. Hasner said the effort has pushed FAU “to new heights in research, student success, athletics and community impact.”
The university pointed to several high-profile achievements made during the campaign period. FAU earned both Research 1 (R1) and Opportunity College & University (OCU) designations in the new 2025 Carnegie Classifications — a combination held by only a small group of institutions nationwide. Administrators described the accomplishment as a key signal of FAU’s growing national profile.
Campaign dollars also funded major building projects. The Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence became one of the most visible additions on the Boca Raton campus. Another major project, the Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building, is now under construction and expected to broaden FAU’s academic reach.
Donor support also expanded scholarships and student-success programs, giving more students access to financial assistance and academic resources. University officials tied this effort back to FAU’s founding in 1964, when public fundraising made it possible to open the school’s doors.
Piero Bussani, chair of the FAU Board of Trustees, said the campaign proves what can happen when the university and its community share a unified vision. Board and Foundation leaders praised the role of longtime donors, including the Schmidt Family Foundation’s $16 million gift more than a decade ago, which laid the groundwork for the campaign’s most visible facilities.
Richard L. Schmidt, a 1970 alumnus and longtime benefactor, said the results show that investments made in the university “paid off tremendously.” FAU officials also credited staff who worked with donors throughout the campaign’s public phase, which included several large gifts and record annual fundraising totals.
In all, 65,120 people contributed to “Transcend Tomorrow,” a figure that includes a record number of students and alumni. University leaders said the wide base of support reflects FAU’s continued role as a regional engine for education, innovation and workforce development.
FAU is encouraging continued support in the areas highlighted by the campaign — scholarships and student success, FAU Health and environmental research — calling them essential to addressing long-term regional needs in education, medical training and environmental resilience along the Atlantic coast.
Source: Florida Atlantic University — https://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/fau-raises-more-than-600-million-university-campaign-transcend-tomorrow-2025
