With the 150th anniversary of Wayne State University in full swing, the successful completion of the Pivotal Moments campaign is in clear sight. We are currently around the 99 percent mark, having raised more than $742 million toward our $750 million goal.

On the morning of October 9, 2014, the day we launched the public phase of the campaign, our total stood at $357.2 million. By the end of that day, thanks to a $25 million gift from Jim and Patti Anderson establishing the Anderson Engineering Ventures Institute, we were at $382.2 million.

Since then every gift to every area of the campaign has gone toward our goal, and more than 83,000 donors have been a part of creating more moments for Wayne State and our students. In just over three and a half years, Wayne State has raised nearly $360 million, an unprecedented fundraising achievement for the university.

In addition to the large gifts by Jim and Patti Anderson, Mike and Marian Ilitch, Mort Harris, Paul and Carol Schaap, Gretchen Valade, Stephen Ross, Dan Gilbert and more, some 97 percent of gifts have come from donors contributing less than $1,000.

During the Pivotal Moments campaign to date, Wayne State supporters have created more than 700 new scholarships, including nearly 500 endowed scholarships that permanently provide support for students. The campaign's top priority is student support.

With a few months more to go, we will soon be closing another successful chapter in Wayne State's history, as we reach our goal of the Pivotal Moments campaign, the university's most ambitious fundraising endeavor.

Remember to mark your calendars for October 26, 2018, when we hold a special event to celebrate our Pivotal Moments success and 150 years in the heart of Detroit.

Pivotal Moments: Our Campaign for Wayne State University honors the pivotal moments Wayne State has created in people's lives and provides support to create future moments for students, faculty and the community. Every gift to every area of the university counts toward our ambitious goal to raise $750 million by 2018, the 150th anniversary of the university's founding. To learn more about Pivotal Moments and the impact giving makes at Wayne State, browse through our Impact Stories.

(May 29, 2018)