The University of Central Missouri (UCM) invites students, employees, alumni and supporters to dream bigger as it launches its first-ever comprehensive campaign aimed at providing every student with the opportunity to build their dreams.
Inspired by lyrics from the university’s “Alma Mater,” Dreams Unite is a $60 million fundraising initiative to unite supporters in building the scholarships, programmatic funding and state-of-the-art facilities that will define the future of UCM.
“For more than 150 years, the University of Central Missouri has been a place where students come to pursue their dreams and achieve their goals,” UCM President Roger Best said. “It’s where they become doers, innovators and our leaders for tomorrow, embracing new challenges and redefining what’s possible every day. Dreams Unite is a campaign that challenges us to come together and dream for the brightest possible future for our campus, for our students and for the University of Central Missouri.”
Unlike a capital campaign, which focuses only on brick-and-mortar projects, a comprehensive campaign has a much broader impact. Dreams Unite is an ambitious, multiyear effort that encompasses capital projects, planned gifts, scholarship and programmatic endowments, and contributions to the unrestricted Central Annual Fund.
The capital projects among the campaign priorities are based on the university’s master plan, which serves as the strategic road map for campus development over the next decade. The plan was created with input from students, employees, alumni and supporters and approved by the UCM Board of Governors in 2023. It lays the literal foundation for dynamic institutional growth that will benefit future generations of Mules and Jennies.
The Dreams Unite campaign features three strategic capital projects:
-Renovations to Thomas R. Gaines Technology Building classrooms, labs and office spaces for the School of Industrial Sciences and Technology and the Department of Occupational Risk and Safety Sciences. The Department of Aviation recently turned a traditional classroom in TR Gaines into the Horine Virtual Reality Flight Simulation Lab. The Dreams Unite campaign will continue the much-needed renovations to the rest of this aging building’s learning spaces, benefiting students in all degree programs housed there.
-Improvements to the Mules Wrestling and Jennies Volleyball locker rooms, coaches’ offices and collaborative spaces for student-athletes in the Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center. Originally known as the Multipurpose Building, the facility was built in 1976. UCM Athletics has embarked on its own master plan to create a supportive infrastructure where student-athletes can forge bonds and hone their skills. Planned improvements will not only enhance the daily experience of current student-athletes but also play a pivotal role in recruitment efforts.
-Construction of a new Welcome Center that will serve as the “front door to campus.” Planned for the corner of South and Maguire streets, the 25,200-square-foot Welcome Center will become an inviting entry point for visitors and a venue for community gatherings and university receptions.
“When the Welcome Center is built and opens its grand doors, there will no longer be any doubt about where the front door to the University of Central Missouri is located,” said Courtney Goddard, vice president for Advancement and executive director of the UCM Alumni Foundation. “All campus visitors, whether they be prospective students, proud alumni or simply curious visitors, will finally be welcomed in a style befitting of this great institution.”
Funding from the state of Missouri and grants from other sources are restricted to specific projects. Private donations are also limited by donor intent. The comprehensive campaign allows the university to be strategic in targeting gifts to identified priorities, directing funding to where it is needed most.
The Dreams Unite comprehensive campaign will create new opportunities for students and provide the learning experiences that will prepare them to serve with confidence in a rapidly changing world.
Along with the UCM Alumni Foundation staff and the campaign steering committee, Dreams Unite is led by honorary chairs Jim Crane, ’76, and David Steward, ’73, and by campaign chairs David, ’74 and ’23, and Jerri, ’74, Hoffmann and Phyllis Huang, ’87.
“At the University of Central Missouri, the time to give is right now – during our first-ever Dreams Unite comprehensive fundraising campaign – because every investment made today has the power to transform lives, strengthen communities and create opportunities for generations of UCM students to come,” Goddard said.
As the campaign gets underway, the UCM Alumni Foundation is embarking on a nationwide Dreams Unite tour. Registration is now open for the first four stops in Missouri, and more dates will be announced soon.
Learn more at ucmo.edu/dreamsunite.
Release courtesy of the University of Central Missouri.
