Devoted, Committed Alumni
Every success the University of Georgia achieved in the past year was cheered on by nearly 350,000 alumni around the world. But UGA alumni didn’t just watch from the sidelines. In fact, many of our triumphs could not have happened without their resolute support.
UGA alumni and friends contributed more than $257.4 million to the University in FY 2022, the highest single year private giving total in UGA history. Exceeding expectations in every quarter, donors demonstrated that their commitment to the University has never been stronger. The three-year rolling fundraising average (calculated from the three most recent years’ fundraising totals) rose to $212.5 million — up 84% from 2014.
And while these numbers are notable, what they signify is vastly more important: an abiding trust and immense investment in the future of this institution and the students and communities it serves.
Investing in Individuals
The highly successful Georgia Commitment Scholarship Program continues to attract donor interest and increase access for students. The program now accounts for 659 endowed, need-based scholarships and close to $100 million committed to need-based aid. Donors in FY 2022 also strengthened UGA’s ability to recruit and retain visionary educators and researchers by creating 18 endowed faculty positions, bringing the University’s total to 340.
Strengthening Signature Programs
UGA supporters played vital roles in a number of signature projects completed in the past year as well. The UGA Foundation and its emeriti trustees led a $12 million fundraising campaign to strengthen the University of Georgia’s Honors Program. This culminated in the University System of Georgia Board of Regents’ approval of the naming of the Jere W. Morehead Honors College, which honors UGA’s president, who served for five years as director of the program.
Following a transformational gift of over $3.5 million from the estate of M. Louise McBee, the University paid tribute to the former UGA administrator and state legislator with the naming of the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education (IHE). The gift from McBee’s estate—the greatest single donation to the institute in its nearly 60-year history—will support the Louise McBee Distinguished Professorship in Higher Education and the Louise McBee Lecture in Higher Education. It also will create an endowment to enhance IHE’s strategic partnerships and initiatives across its three core areas of instruction, research, and service.
Dawgs Give Back
Perhaps the greatest example of UGA’s far-reaching alumni support happened on March 31, 2022: UGA’s first Georgia Giving Day. The University’s initial goal for the 24-hour fundraising campaign was 1,785 gifts. But when donors quickly surpassed that mark, the target moved to 3,318 and then to 6,000 after the second goal was swiftly cleared. By midnight on the West Coast, the campaign had earned 9,339 gifts totaling $5.3 million across all of UGA’s 18 schools and colleges. Alumni and friends in all 50 states and 16 countries united to fund scholarships, experiential learning, campus programs, and virtually every facet of the University’s mission to build a better tomorrow.