Tuskegee U. launches $250m Capital Campaign

Tuskegee University has embarked on a five-year, $250 million capital campaign, the largest in its 130-year history.

“The landscape of higher education is changing dramatically and Tuskegee University is faced with intensified competition for the best students, faculty and academic facilities. In order to continue and further our mission, we must have adequate resources,” said President Gilbert L. Rochon.

The “Programmed for Excellence” campaign will seek to raise a quarter of a billion dollars over the next five years. Funding from the comprehensive campaign will go toward student scholarships, faculty development, facilities and infrastructure, innovative partnerships, campus life, athletic programs, endowed professorships and more.

Overall, the campaign will facilitate Tuskegee University’s enhancement of its graduate and undergraduate academic curricula; increase enrollment and retention; expand student support; grow the endowment; incorporate cutting-edge computational and analytical instrumentation; upgrade academic and physical facilities; establish a large and small animal veterinary hospital; modernize infrastructure; facilitate health care access; stimulate regional sustainable development; attain preeminence as a research university; and expand its global footprint. 

Virgil E. Ecton was recently appointed vice president for federal affairs and director of the capital campaign. He will perform his duties in the university’s Washington, D.C., office. Ecton is the former vice president for university advancement at Howard University. Prior to his appointment at Howard, Ecton worked for the United Negro College Fund for three decades. As the senior executive vice president of development for the UNCF, he raised more than $1.6 billion during his tenure.