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Good citizens look at their community, look at the problems that are impacting their neighbors, and take action.
That’s what Indiana University East and Purdue University College of Technology accomplished. Together, they raised $2.145 million to create a future of work for residents of Richmond, Indiana.
For these institutions, job loss is best fought with education. But rather than bank on one solution, the "Campaign for Community" will use the funds raised to bolster various programs and schools.
For instance, IU’s School of Nursing will receive funds to remodel learning spaces and buy equipment. The funds come as the U.S. continues to face a nursing shortage. Due to an aging baby-boomer population, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the country will need 1.2 million new and replacement nurses by 2014. IU is helping to meet that demand through the creation of career opportunities for its students.
Purdue will also put funds into its College of Technology laboratory. This lab serves as a hands-on training ground that introduces students to the latest technologies and methods used in industry. Purdue is also bolstering its faculty, giving it the resources to develop and the room to conduct needed research.
In addition, both schools will strengthen their scholarship programs. For Purdue, the endowed scholarships will be a first. For IU, these scholarships add to a tradition that ensures students the opportunity to enhance skills and earn degrees.
IU East will also become the home of the Entrepreneurship Center. The Center will aid students interested in starting their own business by encouraging their ambitions with specialized classes, internships, and field trips to local businesses. By meeting successful business leaders, students will learn how to better become the employers of tomorrow.
The campaign will also fund a new art gallery with endowments to insure the preservation of IU East’s burgeoning art collection. That support translates into a stronger center of culture for IU East's students and for the residents of Richmond.
It should be no surprise that this kind of collaboration in fundraising would exceed its goal of $2 million set two years ago. This accomplishment speaks to the drive of campaign board members like Chairman J. Robert Quigg III and Advisor Donald C. Danielson, who also serves on the Indiana University Foundation’s Board of Directors.
These leaders see challenges, and meet them with vision, generosity, dedication, and cooperation.