The Board of Visitors will go on their annual summer retreat July 28 in Williamsburg with an "evolving" CASE, or mission, statement for the launch of the $3 billion Capital Campaign in September.
While Board Rector Thomas F. Farrell, II said he was confident that the campaign would be able to proceed on schedule, according to the minutes from the Nov. 7, 2005 Board meeting, the CASE statement was to be completed before this week's retreat. While the CASE statement is not complete, the 10-year plan was completed on schedule, according to Farrell.
"The planning process for the Capital Campaign is exactly on schedule," Farrell said. "[However,] the CASE statement has had numerous drafts over time. It continues to be tweaked, and will be an evolving process."
The CASE statement will essentially serve as a vision for the University put forth by administrators to prospective donors and alumni groups.
In its current form, the CASE statement articulates three goals for the University: enhancing the student experience, strategically enhancing the University's stature in the sciences and making the world a better place, according to Bill Sublette, director of campaign communications.
"This is a marathon, not a sprint," Sublette said. "We'll be revising the statement as the campaign goes along."
The Board has explored many possible ways to market the University as part of a separate branding initiative. At a full board meeting last April, members discussed possible ways to "brand" the distinctive characteristics of the University. Discussion included, among other things, the extent to which the University should play up its Jeffersonian lineage or strength in American studies.
"I think it is a matter of making sure the way we describe these initiatives are in harmony with each other," Sublette said.
Farrell does not believe the planning process of the Capital Campaign will fall behind without a completed statement. There is a preliminary statement that includes the updated recommendations and suggestions from the various groups contributing to the campaign that is available for the launch of the campaign in the fall, he said.
"There has been one [statement] that has been shown to numerous corporations over the past six months, and it has changed constantly," Farrell said. "It has changed from what to emphasize [and] what not to emphasize. There is a draft for the start of the campaign in September."
Board secretary Sandy Gilliam, who has assisted in past University capital campaigns, said that he is not surprised by the delay of the completion of the CASE statement.
"They're just trying to fine tune it," he said. "Probably for the last six months, the president and the development office have been testing [the statement] out on various alumni groups and constituent groups. We are doing well in pushing towards our goal. There's a lot of enthusiasm for it."
In the University's last campaign, in 1993, priorities evolved over the course of the campaign, Sublette said. Initially plans included raising funds to expand the University Hall basketball arena, resources were instead directed to expanding Scott Stadium.
However, according to Michael Neilson of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the long term plan for a capital fundraising campaign is unlikely to dramatically evolve once a campaign has been launched.
"It will probably not change very much. The daily and monthly tactics might change because of both external and internal factors," Nielson said.
Neilson commends the University on its extensive planning process for the campaign as a whole.
"The key for a capital campaign is that really much of the work is done before the campaign even begins," he said. "Typically, you'll see months, years of work before the capital campaign has begun. They obviously expect to make $3 billion. [Without planning] you wouldn't stand a chance of making it."
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