The University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce announced today that its Inspire the Next Century campaign surpassed its fundraising goal of $250 million, 17 months ahead of schedule. An additional $74.5 million in University matching funds brings the total philanthropic impact to nearly $325 million.
Created in support of the University’s $5 billion Honor the Future campaign that launched publicly in October 2019, the Commerce School’s fundraising effort boasts one of the highest alumni participation rates across UVA’s 12 schools, with close to 50% of McIntire alumni making a gift to UVA so far during the campaign—a number that is growing daily.
“Accomplishing our goal—and at this early date—marks a significant achievement that propels McIntire into our next transformative era,” says John A. Griffin Dean Nicole Thorne Jenkins. “I would like to send my most sincere gratitude to our dedicated alumni, parents, corporate partners, staff, faculty, and all contributors across the McIntire community and, at the same time, thank President Ryan for his vision and collaboration throughout the entire process. The unprecedented generosity of our community has been an amazing catalyst for the Commerce School to thrive as a beacon of business education excellence for generations to come.”
McIntire’s fundraising achievement is the culmination of a years-long initiative aimed at strengthening and augmenting the capabilities of its consistently top-ranked academic programs in a variety of ways. The community immediately embraced the campaign by investing in its priorities, including the Centennial Fund for Faculty Excellence; Student Success and Scholarships; the Next Century Building Fund; McIntire’s seven research centers; and new curricular programming, including pan-University minors in Entrepreneurship, General Business, Leadership, and Real Estate. Generous donors also sustained and increased critical unrestricted support through the McIntire Annual Fund, allowing the School to pursue innovative opportunities and respond to unprecedented challenges.
“I am grateful for the extraordinary community of donors and deeply engaged volunteers who led us to this successful outcome,” says Associate Dean for Advancement Katie Whittier. “In addition to acknowledging the hard work of the Advancement team and the essential contributions of our partners across Grounds, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to McIntire’s staff, faculty, and students for dedicating their time, attention, and drive to deliver on everything that we needed to take the Inspire the Next Century campaign surging past its goal ahead of schedule.”
With Progress, Comes Growth
Throughout the campaign, donors have supplied critical support for vital growth and enhancement across the School’s entire academic portfolio.
In spring 2020, McIntire’s successful Entrepreneurship Minor was joined by the relaunching of the interdisciplinary Leadership Minor, which was followed a year later by the introduction of the Real Estate Minor. In late 2023, the School also began offering courses focused on core business competencies to non-Commerce students via the General Business Minor. In fall 2023, Commerce Essentials—a portfolio of half-credit micro-courses delivering foundational business content via online learning modules—launched with topics such as personal branding, networking, social media, personal finances, and more.
A significant focus of the School in recent years has been the expansion of the B.S. in Commerce to a three-year undergraduate program. Prompted by shifts in the business landscape, the transition will take place in fall 2024 and will better align the student experience with employment recruitment cycles and evolving industry demands. The longer timeframe also affords students more flexibility to explore professional opportunities, develop career interests, and access more global learning experiences.
At the graduate level, the School welcomed its first medical Ph.D. student to the M.S. in Commerce Program as part of the BIMS PhD+ Dual-Degree Program forged between the Schools of Medicine and Commerce in fall 2020; two years later, the M.S. in Commerce inaugurated the Biotechnology Track with a diverse cohort studying at the intersection of business and life sciences.
Donor support was a critical driver for helping to launch Commerce for the Common Good, a School-wide initiative to advance the School’s vision of “developing global citizens who can transform commerce and society.” Key highlights include need-based scholarships, a set of signature courses focused on business and society, and an annual speaker series.
In the coming years, the School will continue to assess the marketplace and develop meaningful programs of study and co-curricular experiences accordingly. It will also complete its comprehensive McIntire Expansion Project, fueled by the campaign’s Next Century Building Fund. With the renovation of Cobb Hall; construction of Shumway Hall; updates to Rouss & Robertson Halls; and the development of various outdoor meeting areas, expanded walkways, and green spaces, the facilities will open in 2025.
Still Work to Do
The campaign will continue through the end of fiscal year 2025. With McIntire’s second century officially underway after a community celebration of its centennial in 2021, the campaign now adopts a refreshed moniker: Building Our Next Century—which serves as an invitation to the entire McIntire community to stay engaged and keep the momentum going.
Critical priorities remain. The McIntire community has raised significant scholarship funding for Commerce students through the Bicentennial Scholars Fund, and further support for the top-ranked student experience remains paramount for the School. Completing funding for the Expansion Project by 2025 is also crucial, with nearly $12 million left to raise for new and revitalized spaces that will accommodate program growth and constant changes in business education. Finally—with a slate of successful pan-University minors, a changing undergraduate curriculum, specialized graduate programs, online learning credentials, and a resurgence of global opportunities—garnering additional unrestricted funding to allow the School needed flexibility to enhance and make its portfolio of academic programs available to every University student remains foundational to the School’s mission.
