Northern Kentucky University recently concluded its most successful fundraising campaign in university history—Further, Faster: The Campaign for NKU—which launched to the public in spring 2019. Thanks to more than 18,000 donors, NKU exceeded its $75 million goal by nearly $10 million, raising $84.8 million in total. The success of this campaign has advanced the three pillars of NKU’s strategic framework, Success by Design. Through these pillars—access, completion, and career and community engagement—NKU continues to address the needs of students and the region.
This campaign has better positioned NKU to help students from all backgrounds receive the opportunities and resources they need to start strong, complete their educational goals and meaningfully engage in their desired careers. Thanks to our dedicated community of donors who have created and funded 197 new scholarships during the campaign, NKU is now more accessible to learners than it has ever been before. More than 100 of these scholarships are endowed, meaning they will exist in perpetuity, providing financial assistance to students indefinitely.
This campaign has significantly impacted NKU’s ability to support students on their path to degree completion. Since the inception of the Further, Faster campaign, NKU has celebrated more than 20,000 new graduates. Many students who earned a life-changing degree were first-generation, low-income or underrepresented individuals facing significant barriers. The continued investment in student retention through advising programs, faculty endowments and other student support initiatives has made this level of degree completion possible.
Through advanced career and community engagement, NKU is contributing to the economic, social and civic prosperity of our region and ensuring a seamless transition into the workforce for graduates. Thanks to collaborations with various partners and stakeholders, students are becoming more engaged and contributing to the vibrancy of our region earlier. These strategic partnerships allow students to get real-world experience and push NKU to better serve northern Kentucky, Greater Cincinnati and beyond.
The Further, Faster campaign weathered the challenges of a global pandemic and still managed to exceed expectations. Prevailing in troubled times proves what can be accomplished when passionate and loyal supporters stand behind a common cause. Donations to this campaign were made by individuals in all 50 states, engaging donors from various backgrounds and affiliations to NKU. Further, Faster raised nearly 70 percent more than NKU’s previous capital campaign, Shaping Dreams, and will impact NKU and its students for years to come.
