UMO hits $20.7 million in capital funding
By Staff Reports
Published in News on March 8, 2015 1:50 AM
MOUNT OLIVE -- Just three years into a five-year, $20 million capital campaign the University of Mount Olive already has received gifts and pledges totaling $20.7 million.
However, university officials have announced an additional $3 million extension of the campaign.
The Realizing the Dream, Securing the Future capital campaign, publicly launched in January 2012 and was scheduled to end in 2017.
"When this campaign started, some people thought we were dreaming the impossible," UMO President Dr. Philip P. Kerstetter said. "However, together, with the help of a great group of colleagues -- the University Advancement Team, our board of trustees, the Foundation board under the leadership of the late George R. Kornegay Jr., and, most importantly, the many individuals, businesses, churches, alumni and friends who contributed during the campaign, we have secured funds that will go far in our efforts to enhance the lives of our people, our critical programs and our exceptional facilities.
"Our momentum is great, but we are not finished yet."
Kerstetter said there are still two critical areas in which the university needs to focus -- expanding Rodgers Chapel and building phase one of the track and lacrosse complex.
The Rodgers Chapel expansion and the first phase of the construction of the track and lacrosse complex have an estimated cost of $1.5 million each, Kerstetter said.
New construction to Rodgers Chapel will add classrooms, offices and additional chapel seating, thus supporting the expansion of the university's religious studies program while providing adequate private meditation and counseling rooms.
Phase One of the track and lacrosse complex will include an eight-lane, synthetic surface, 40-meter track built with an artificial surface field inside the track, along with areas for throws and jumps.
The complex will serve as a hub for both the university and the region, as well as provide a significant economic impact on eastern North Carolina, Kerstetter said.
Funds already received from the campaign are being directed to the following areas:
* Establishment of new scholarship endowments.
* New campus signs, walkways, and a courtyard have been added.
* The newly refurbished Hazel Waters Kornegay Assembly Hall provides a 360-seat auditorium with a wrap-around balcony and a 28-foot stage.
* A new home for the Department of Music at the Assembly Hall, 207 Wooten St., addresses growth in the department through flexible rehearsal and performance spaces, practice rooms and teaching studios and classrooms.
* Residential housing has increased to accommodate 175 additional students as a result of The Inn Residence Hall (the former Sleep Inn) and the J. William and Marvis E. "Marcy" Byrd (the former Mount Olive School next to the Assembly Hall).
* The Kornegay Student Farm will provide a platform for year-round crop production, various independent student projects, and field activities for selected courses.
* Construction on an 8,400-square-feet agriculture mechanics shop which contains 12 welding booths, a wood working shop, small engine repair and auto mechanics area, ventilation and HVAC testing area, classroom and office space.
* Significant increases in annual giving.
"One of the most gratifying outcomes that I have seen of this campaign has been the new friendships that have been created that go way beyond the business of comprehensive campaigns and fundraising," said Jimmy Williams, vice president for institutional advancement. "As I have met with and continue to meet long-time university benefactors or with those who have become first-time donors, we have developed a very strong sense that it is our responsibility not to let them down.
"We want to make sure that what we do with their gifts will be consistent with the hopes and dreams that caused them to step up and make the commitments in the first place. We are committed to that goal. The advancement staff, the UMO Foundation, the UMO board of trustees, and I are committed to helping the university obtain its additional fund raising goal of $3 million in the shortest possible time. I believe doing so will successfully position the University of Mount Olive, the community at large, and its surrounding businesses for the future."
Kerstetter thanked those who have made and will continue to make reaching the campaign goal a reality.
For more information on the Realizing the Dream, Securing the Future capital campaign at the University of Mount Olive, call Williams at 919-658-7678.