Events
Wake Tech Fundraising Campaign Tops Ambitious Goal
RALEIGH, N.C. (December 17, 2013) - Wake Technical Community College is celebrating an unprecedented show of community support – more than $17.5 million! That’s how much the Wake Tech Foundation has raised over the past two years, through its first-ever major gifts campaign, “The Ripple Effect.” The grand total exceeds the campaign’s goal of $12.5 million and includes an anonymous seven-figure gift, the largest single cash gift in college history.
“We’re nothing short of ecstatic – and enormously grateful,” says Mort Congleton, Senior Vice President for College Development at Wake Tech and the Foundation’s Executive Director. “We knew this was an ambitious undertaking, but we also knew this was, and is, a generous community, forward-thinking and committed to education. We simply could not have imagined a response of this magnitude!” Congleton, who refused to shave until the campaign reached its goal, shaved off his beard before the announcement.
“The Ripple Effect” campaign was launched in early 2012 with an initial goal of $10 million, to address overwhelming demand for Wake Tech programs and services and record-breaking enrollment growth. The campaign total includes cash and in-kind contributions from corporations and individuals; it will fund student scholarships, innovative initiatives among faculty and staff, and major upgrades in technology.
Wake Tech has produced a video thanking campaign contributors.
“Wake Tech continues to grow – it’s one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the country,” says Wake Tech President Dr. Stephen Scott. “But we have to keep getting better as well as bigger. We have to make sure quality goes hand-in-hand with increased capacity, and the success of this campaign will make that possible. These funds will help us keep training relevant, instructional programs up to date, and faculty and staff at the top of their game.”
The Ripple Effect campaign committee was chaired by Dr. Bill Atkinson, former Wake Med President and CEO, and Frank Holding, Jr., Chairman and CEO of First Citizens Bank. It was the first major gifts campaign in Wake Tech history. Wake Tech employees contributed more than $365,000, with a record 87% participating in the campaign.
