“We’re definitely on track. We’re very confident, very pleased, very excited,” Cerveny said.

Just in the last year, part of the money raised has been used to complete the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, help build the Experimental Media Performance Arts Center, raise the amount of scholarships awarded, and plan activities such as the “Change the World” challenge.

This challenge is the result of a gift from Sean O’Sullivan ’85 and will present five students each year with $1,000 to develop a unique solution to a problem facing the world. Five students were already chosen for the 2005-2006 winning projects with ideas that included barcoding canes for the blind and environmentally friendly ways to recycle cars.

Other large gifts continue to come in as well, the newest of which is still being negotiated. Final details are not available, but Cerveny described it as a “gift in kind,” meaning that it will be a more material gift than just money. She said that they are evaluating the gift now and determining its monetary value, and are planning on announcing the details next fall.

Approximately one-third of the money raised so far has been through corporations and foundations. The rest has been donated by alumni, individuals, and private philanthropists. Donations from the government are not accepted.

One of the main events of the campaign has been a series of small-scale regional dinners held throughout the country known as “Rensselaer on the Road.” The target audience at these events is alumni as well as corporations and foundations. Those who choose to donate at these events are then invited back to the campus for what have been termed “Renaissance Weekends.”

Over the course of these weekends, the donors interact with President Jackson, faculty, and students to see what their donation will help. Fourteen of these weekends have already been held, and more are planned for the future.

“They see the change and are absolutely moved,” said Cerveny. She added that these weekends “are very helpful in getting folks to contribute to the campaign and help this campus.”

In addition, various events have been held around the country and around the world to contact these alumni and corporations. Locations like Denver and Detroit to Kuala Lampur and Beijing have been chosen for these.

Cerveny said that they are working to try to include more students and recent alumni in the campaign. “We’re trying to branch out and be more inclusive,” she said. “We’d love to see more student input.”

She went on to note that Institute Advancement is currently working with four focus groups of current students and recent alumni to decide on the best ways to include these groups in the campaign. They are particularly focusing on young alumni, but Cerveny said that the difficulty with that demographic is people moving frequently and trying to start careers, so they are harder to locate and ask for donations.

David Haviland ’64, vice president of institute advancement, also hopes to involve more students in the campaign. Among his goals is to establish a kiosk or electronic board in the Student Union. This interactive technology will allow students to see the amount raised as well as upcoming activities. The office also hopes to print newsletters quarterly to increase the flow of information. They hope that initiatives like these will inspire students to help with the campaign by volunteering at events and activities.

“People are much easier to find 20 years out, after they’re settled down,” she explained.

The money that is being raised in the campaign is earmarked for a variety of programs around campus. Half of the funds will be used towards advancing research and learning. To capitalize the impact of research, the campaign will support three focal areas in information technology: future chips, multiscale computation, and pervasive computing.

The Institute is also investing in crosscutting research on the social and economic implications of information technology and on the intersections among electronic media, the arts, and the human mind. The funds will also be used to increase endowment for faculty members to make Rensselaer a more attractive place to work. More research opportunities will be provided by building state-of-the-art facilities such as the new Nanotechnology Center and the Center for Terahertz Research. Also, more support for faculty members and students will be provided through adding constellations and department chairs.

The remaining funds will help support students and other construction projects. For example, one of the goals is to raise the amount of financial aid awarded to students in the form of alumni scholarships and fellowships. Funds will also be used to help fund the East Campus Athletic Project as well as continue dormitory renovations.