Last Friday Chancellor Kent Hance announced that Texas Tech University has officially reached its $1 billion goal for the Vision and Traditions Campaign almost a year ahead of schedule.
Hance went on to describe the goal of the campaign to be a proud moment for Tech. He said not only has the university gained tier one status, Tech’s future is bright and the achievements are only going to progress.
“My motto since I’ve been here at Texas Tech is ‘Dream no little dream,’” said Hance. “Our people don’t dream little dreams, and you didn’t dream a little dream. I cannot tell you how proud I am of the team that we have. And the other thing that we’ve always said, is that ‘From here, it’s possible.’ “
According to the statistics Hance gave during the press conference, the Visions and Traditions Campaign has been possible thanks to multiple donations. Hance said 120,000 people have donated to the campaign. The donations were also given on not only a national scale, but also on a global scale. All 50 states contributed to the $1 billion goal alongside 39 different countries.
The campaign is designated towards three different categories: student scholarship, faculty support, and facilities enhancement.
Student scholarships have increased over the last few years, Hace said. He also described a time when Tech was behind not only the University of Texas, and Texas A&M – but also the University of Houston. Now, Hance said, Tech can proudly say Tech students have the opportunity to obtain a scholarship more so than two years ago. $145 million is reserved just for scholarships at Tech. During the press conference, Hance described a scholarship that had helped a specific Red Raider in particular.
Eric Ward, number 18 and wide receiver for Texas Tech, was awarded a scholarship through the university. Hance said Ward is currently attending graduate school to obtain his masters degree and was also the first person in his family to graduate high school and now college. Hance said without the support and opportunities like such that the campaign supports, people like Ward have achieved a high level of success.
Hance said only a few other universities across the nation have acquired $1 billion for their own programs. In fact, Hance said, there are less than 70 universities that have raised such a high sum of money. He said there are over 5,000 colleges throughout the nation and we’re in the top 60.
But, Hance said, there were days when the campaign did not look as promising.
“We did it when the economy was not the best,” he said. “In fact, in ‘08 and ‘09 I thought, ‘Oh wow, this is going to be tough.’ There were days there that all of us were a little worried. But it seemed like when some of us were worried, the rest of the team was very optimistic. They would pull us up, and we would do the same when they were down.”
He said somehow the university not only pushed through, but also achieved the campaign almost a year ahead of schedule. Hance said the opportunity to give will continue through the fiscal year. Such donations will go towards improvements in at AT&T Stadium and a new score board.
Hace said overall, the campaign has been driven for the people, by the people. He said it’s all about the “can-do-attitude” Tech alum, friends, student, and faculty give off and showcase every day.
After a closing the campaign press conference with the audience singing Tech’s Madator Song, a reception was held in the lobby at the Rawls College of Business. Students and faculty were able to attend the conference, and post-viewing seemed very proud of the accomplishments Tech had made in the campaign.
Ryan Burrus, a senior Tech student from Dallas, said after hearing the news of reaching $1 billion, it was a great day to be a Red Raider.
“This is excellent news for Texas Tech,” said Burrus. “It’s a great day to be a Red Raider and I’m proud that we finally raised enough money to hit all of our research goals and it’s a really good thing for the Tech community, Lubbock community, current students, and future students.”
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