Campaign seeks to raise $500 million for UNMC

UNMC committee The UNMC campaign committee includes: Co-chairs Gail Walling Yanney, M.D., and Michael Yanney; Richard Bell; Lynne Boyer; Tim Daugherty; Richard Holland; Terry Kroeger; Bruce Lauritzen; John P. Nelson; John A. Scott; and Stanley Truhlsen, M.D.

A new UNMC cancer campus, eye institute and drug discovery center top the list of projects outlined in a $500 million campaign that would dramatically influence health care in the state.

UNMC seeks to raise $500 million as part of the public phase of a $1.2 billion fundraising campaign announced Friday by the University of Nebraska and University of Nebraska Foundation. Funds raised through the Campaign for Nebraska: Unlimited Possibilities will meet high-priority opportunities and needs at the university’s four campuses.

“Campaign for Nebraska is a tremendous opportunity to raise the private support needed for key priorities at UNMC that, when achieved, will shape health care and benefit Nebraskans in unprecedented ways,” said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D. “We are grateful for the private support that has transformed our campus and look forward to doing even more to help Nebraskans live longer, healthier lives.”

Campaign Nebraska is the most ambitious fundraising effort in the 73-year history of the foundation. Fundraising for the campaign began in 2005 and concludes in 2014; more than $642 million has been raised so far in gifts and pledges.

Previous campaigns The campaign is the university’s third comprehensive campaign. The previous campaigns were: Nebraska Campaign (1977-1980): Goal — $25 million; Raised — $51 million Campaign Nebraska: One University, One Nebraska (1993-2000): Goal — $250; Raised — $727 million

UNMC’s core campaign projects include:

• A $175 million cancer campus that features a multidisciplinary treatment and clinical research facility to enable physicians and scientists to work collaboratively on the most difficult problems that affect patients.
  
• A $30 million comprehensive eye institute to bolster education, research and patient care related to ophthalmic health. The incidences of eye diseases related to aging are expected to increase by 30 percent in the next 20 years.
  
• A $16 million Center for Drug Discovery that will facilitate the discovery, development and delivery of drugs to treat new, emerging and neglected infectious diseases including malaria and HIV/AIDS.

“UNMC’s campaign priorities focus on meeting the needs of Nebraskans, while striving for world-class status,” said co-chairs of the UNMC campaign committee, Gail Walling Yanney, M.D., and Michael Yanney.