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BIDDEFORD, Maine

Moving Forward Campaign reaches $50 million

President Danielle Ripich, Ph.D., announced that, as of June 1, 2015, the University of New England has raised more than $50 million of its $60 million Moving Forward Campaign goal.

“The outpouring of support from every imaginable constituency has been impressive and heartwarming. 100% of our Trustees and more than half of our faculty and staff have contributed to ensure the best possible education for our students,” Ripich stated. “We have been joined by alumni, friends and philanthropists who support our vision and recognize the value UNE brings to the communities we live and work in, and those our students go on to serve.”

When the campaign went public in March of 2014, five years after its inception, $40 million had been raised from generous lead donors who believed in the 10-year strategic plan, titled “Vision 2017.” Developed under the leadership of Ripich, “Vision 2017” is simple but bold: The University of New England will be nationally recognized with programs of excellence and innovation in health professions and the arts and sciences. 

These leadership gifts were a catalyst for unprecedented growth at UNE during a period of economic downturn. Thanks to the Harold Alfond Foundation, the Alfond Forum opened on the Biddeford Campus in 2012, and Northeast Delta Dental’s gift led to the opening of the Portland Campus’ College of Dental Medicine in 2013.  Even the citizens of Maine were supportive, approving bond referendums that ultimately resulted in awards to help build the Oral Health Center and the College of Pharmacy research labs that opened in 2010. 

With $10 million left to raise by June 2017, several key campaign objectives remain, and the support of alumni and friends will be crucial to success. The University invites everyone to contribute to the remaining fundraising goal; this collective investment will secure the foundation for 2018 and beyond.

Campaign Chair and UNE Trustee Emeritus Robert McAfee, M.D., HON ’94 says, “This significant benchmark is due to the hard work of many on the Campaign Steering Committee, the Board and UNE staff; but thanks go to the donors themselves, who have made the University of New England one of their philanthropic priorities. As we enter the last two years of this effort, we will work even harder to make every gift add up, and we ask everyone who knows and loves UNE to help us spread the word about this great university.”

For more information visit: www.une.edu/movingforward

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.