UT launches $6 billion fundraising campaign, largest ever effort among Texas universities

The University of Texas launched Friday a philanthropic campaign, the largest ever undertaken by a Texas university, as part of the school’s efforts to raise $6 billion by 2025. The priorities of the What Starts Here campaign include supporting student success; recruiting and retaining faculty and graduate students; improving health care for everyone in the state; and contributing to energy innovation and entrepreneurship in Texas. The campaign also includes a $1 billion goal to fund scholarships and student support programs. “At this moment, we face incredible opportunities as we pursue our goal of becoming the world’s most impactful public research university,” UT President Jay Hartzell said in a news release. “We will accomplish this by continuing to attract incredible people, by taking advantage of our unique place in Austin and Texas, and by focusing on transformative pursuits. By fueling our ambitious plans, the What Starts Here campaign will truly change the world.”

Scott Rabenold, vice president for university development, said the campaign will help UT provide research to help transform health care in Texas. Donations will support research into new models for healthy communities and innovations into the delivery of health care, according to a UT news release. “We change the world. We drive better outcomes. We need better health outcomes in this state, and I'm confident because of this campaign and because of the direction of the medical enterprise at UT-Austin, we will see those better health outcomes, both in Central Texas and in our state,” Rabenold told the American-Statesman. UT’s revenue comes from various sources, including from the state government, tuition and philanthropic donations. However, the portion of UT's budget funded by the state has decreased from 34% during fiscal 1990-91 to 10% during fiscal 2020-21, forcing UT increasingly to rely on other sources. Kevin Eltife, chairman of the UT System Board of Regents and a former Republican state senator, said the fundraising campaign will help supplement the support that UT receives from state leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dan Phelan, R-Beaumont, and the Legislature. “On behalf of the Board of Regents, we are grateful for all the philanthropic support already provided and are confident that this fundraising effort will ensure a future where the University of Texas continues to produce Longhorns that change the world,” Eltife said in a news release.