UHCL launches campaign to raise $20 million

The University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) has launched a “UHCL Here, We Go” campaign, a major fundraising initiative with a goal to raise $20 million by 2020. The campaign was launched on campus Feb. 27 with a faculty and staff event held in the Garden Room.

“Funds are being used to invest in faculty development and research, open new opportunities for students through scholarships, experiential learning and career exploration, stimulate innovation and imagination through centers of excellence and the arts, and pursue more promising opportunities to benefit our students, our community and the world,” said Rhonda Thompson, vice president of university advancement.

The campaign is asking for donations from a variety of sources and has already raised a substantial amount.

“To date, we have raised $9.9 million of the $20 million goal,” Thompson said. “Our donors consist of alumni, foundations, corporations, faculty, staff and others in the community who value the university’s mission – who want to make a difference in the lives of our students, our community and the world.”

UHCL President Ira Blake assures that tuition costs will not be raised in order to help reach the goal of the campaign.

“The capital campaign, ‘UHCL, Here We Go,’ is a separate and distinct money source,” Blake said. “Funds will come from university friends and community partners who want to support their local university.”

Blake has no doubt the university will be able to reach its goal of $20 million by 2020.

“The goal is something for us to aspire to, and I have every reason to believe that $20 million by 2020 is a goal we can meet,” Blake said. “We have many wonderful supporters and our case for support is strong.”

Blake believes that there is no better time than right now to launch the campaign.

“The time is right,” Blake said. “As you know, UHCL transitioned from an upper-level university to a comprehensive, four-year university in fall 2014. Serving freshmen and sophomore students has led to many exciting opportunities to grow our impact as a 21st-century university. We are focusing our campaign on four key priorities: Engaged teaching, inspired learning, fearless imagination, and emerging opportunities.”

Thompson believes people should donate because UHCL can change lives and will only continue to change more lives the more the university expands.

“To accelerate the transformation of our great university, expanding opportunities for students across Bay Area Houston and beyond,” Thompson said. “Here, lives are changed, careers are launched and a better future for our region and the world is shaped.”

Anyone interested in donating or learning more about the “UHCL Here, We Go” campaign, are encouraged to visit the website www.uhcl.edu/here-we-go/.