University of Arizona Fuel Wonder Campaign Surpasses $3 Billion

By Rodney Campbell

When the Wyant Foundation made an $800,000 commitment in July to support the University of Arizona’s Wyant College of Optical Sciences, the gift represented more than an act of generosity.

It also pushed Fuel Wonder, UA’s fundraising campaign that started quietly in 2017 before its public launch in 2023, past its $3 billion goal months ahead of schedule.

“Reaching this milestone is cause for celebration of everyone who made it a success—especially the thousands of donors whose generosity has made such an incredible impact on the U of A,” said John-Paul Roczniak, president and CEO of the UA Foundation. “Their investment in scholarships, faculty excellence, groundbreaking research, patient care, athletics and countless other priorities will transform lives for generations to come.”

The Fuel Wonder campaign celebrates several completed capital projects and buildings thanks to donor investment–the Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center, Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum, the Student Success District, Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, William M. “Bill” Clements Golf Center and the Paul and Alice Baker Center for Public Media.

Another milestone achievement for the campaign is the naming of three colleges: James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences in 2019, followed by the W.A. Franke Honors College and the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy in 2021. Each of those donors committed tens of millions of dollars to the UA.

A historic $20 million pledge from the Garcia Family Foundation will expand access to study abroad programs for students with financial needs. Another $20 million, given anonymously, sparked the UA’s Annual Giving Day in February. The donor challenged the UA community to pitch in and donors delivered. That goal of $5 million was easily beaten when 1,324 gifts added up to almost $25.7 million.

“A campaign is an opportunity to share the university’s story with alumni and donors in a new way,” Roczniak said. “For those who haven’t been engaged in a while, it’s an invitation to learn more about where the university is going and see how they can be part of its future. We have many donors who care deeply about the U of A and have given again and again, through multiple campaigns, over decades.

“Our greatest champions are with us because they have relationships with the U of A that go beyond a campaign.”

The Wyant Foundation Trust, for example, was established by the late-James C. Wyant, founding dean of the UA College of Optical Sciences. This gift will support the launch of LENS: Linking Engagement, Networks and Student Success, an initiative that will boost community and industry connections while highlighting student success and programs in optics education and workforce development.

“Jim Wyant was among the university’s biggest champions,” Roczniak said. “He gave generously during Fuel Wonder and the university’s previous campaign, Arizona NOW.”

Fundraising efforts function effectively with dedicated leadership. Fuel Wonder Co-chairs Terry Lundgren (Class of 1975) and Marianne Cracchiolo Mago (Class of 1993) have been significant donors and volunteers through the years, helping further a spirit of giving that creates opportunities for students, faculty and staff.

“They are both Wildcats through and through, with different areas of passion on campus, and both have tremendous credibility with our extended alumni and donor community,” Roczniak said. “I am grateful to them for making transformational gifts on this campus, and for sharing what their philanthropy means to them personally. Their public support helps inspire additional giving.”

Fuel Wonder donors helped double the university’s endowment and add 110 endowed positions, including a $5 million gift from Sarah Smallhouse to fund the College of Science deanship; an $8.5 million gift from Ginny Clements to the Ginny L. Clements Breast Cancer Research Center at the Cancer Center; and multiple gifts from Bruce and Pat Bartlett, who support research positions as well as student success. They also gave a record $425 million to support the UA in the fiscal year that ended on June 30. The UA Foundation manages the university’s donated assets and processes gifts.

Arizona NOW, the university’s most recent campaign, topped its $1.5 billion goal two years ahead of schedule in 2016. Roczniak, who has led the UA Foundation for 11 years after serving as an associate vice president, said donor and staff commitment to the university made Fuel Wonder’s aggressive goal realistic. The campaign’s final numbers will be announced after Homecoming Weekend in October.

“This campaign is the most ambitious in the university’s history,” Roczniak said. “We set our sights high with a $3 billion goal because we knew we had the alumni and donor base to achieve it, and a team of talented professionals working tirelessly to connect our alumni and donors with opportunities to make a difference at the institution we all care so deeply about.”

Pictured above – John-Paul Roczniak, President & CEO, University of Arizona Foundation. Photo by Brent G. Mathis