AD disarray

[clenz]

Does anyone know how much has been raised for UNI-Dome so far?

Last "known" total was still under 10m, which includes the 5m lead gift announced last year from the lady in California.

There's never been an actual number given, and I think we can all guess why.

My best guess is based on connecting various dots/crums/reading between the lines (before this most recent gift was given there is zero indication of what it was for) is roughly 8.5-9.2m

Or roughly 18% of the project that was publicly announced for fundraising 6 years ago.

Making a wildly uneducated guess on this one maybe we finally cross the 20% line.

[UNIpanther99]

The part of this that just makes no sense to me, is that supposedly the Dome is part of the Our Tomorrow campaign.

The overall campaign boasts that it has raised $241,000,000 of the $250,000,000 goal. Meaning they are now just 9 million shy of fully funding the campaign. Yet, we know there are tens of millions yet to be raised on the UNI-Dome renovation and other athletics projects.

Am I the only one confused by this? Why would they do this?

[FOTY]

The part of this that just makes no sense to me, is that supposedly the Dome is part of the Our Tomorrow campaign.

The overall campaign boasts that it has raised $241,000,000 of the $250,000,000 goal. Meaning they are now just 9 million shy of fully funding the campaign. Yet, we know there are tens of millions yet to be raised on the UNI-Dome renovation and other athletics projects.

Am I the only one confused by this? Why would they do this?

Donors are allowed to fully designate their contribution. There are a large number of scholarships, etc being funded through the campaign. So, while the overall campaign is looking great and ahead of schedule, specific pieces, such as the dome or campanile or performance center, still need work and focus. It’s the problem of having so many specific goals to contribute to.

One thing to consider is that the “official” public announcement on the dome and campaign are just nearing one year. I still have the faith Jermier, Nook and team will get it done.

My guess is that we are around $10M on the dome (based upon “reserved” naming rights on the site). That said I’m anticipating a large announcement coming soon… gotta have some pop for homecoming to create continued excitement for the campaign.

[UNIpanther99]

Donors are allowed to fully designate their contribution. There are a large number of scholarships, etc being funded through the campaign. So, while the overall campaign is looking great and ahead of schedule, specific pieces, such as the dome or campanile or performance center, still need work and focus. It’s the problem of having so many specific goals to contribute to.

One thing to consider is that the “official” public announcement on the dome and campaign are just nearing one year. I still have the faith Jermier, Nook and team will get it done.

My guess is that we are around $10M on the dome (based upon “reserved” naming rights on the site). That said I’m anticipating a large announcement coming soon… gotta have some pop for homecoming to create continued excitement for the campaign.

I get that, and appreciate what you are saying, but I'm asking about this specific numbers. This is on the Our Tomorrow webpage:

In October 2022, the University of Northern Iowa Foundation publicly launched Our Tomorrow: The Campaign for UNI. With a goal of raising $250 million by 2026, this fundraising campaign is the boldest, most ambitious ever undertaken at UNI. The Our Tomorrow campaign will invest in all areas of the university — every college, every student.

By the time of the public launch, UNI has already seen the support of nearly 25,000 unique donors. As of August 2023, the Our Tomorrow campaign is 96% of the way to meeting the goal, having raised $241 million. It will take gifts of all sizes from alumni, donors, foundations and corporate partners to push us across the finish line.

$241 / $250 million raised, with $40 million to go on the Dome, which is part of the same campaign. It doesn't add up for me, although I didn't major in accounting.

[pnthr53]

If they were anywhere near where they want to be.....they would tell you. They don't want anybody knowing where they are at. If they had the funds raised they would say so.

[clenz]

I get that, and appreciate what you are saying, but I'm asking about this specific numbers. This is on the Our Tomorrow webpage:



$241 / $250 million raised, with $40 million to go on the Dome, which is part of the same campaign. It doesn't add up for me, although I didn't major in accounting.

The goal isn't strictly 250 and once that 250 is hit all donos are cut off. To FOTY's point - donors can designate where they want donations to go. Certain projects may have "X" of that 250 planned within the plan but if they end up getting "X" 3 times over it still counts towards the total campaign total. To put it another way - it's entirely possible it's going to take 450m to accomplish what that 250m was initially set to cover

[clenz]

If they were anywhere near where they want to be.....they would tell you. They don't want anybody knowing where they are at. If they had the funds raised they would say so.

And this is the real answer.

The reason David, Jamar, or anyone refuses to ever actually mention anything about numbers - or hell, even the ****ing project, at this point or any point over the last 7 years - is because they don't have jack ****ing ****. They haven't raised **** and can't raise ****.

David, more than any other person at UNI, needs a "PR win". If he had the ability to take a PR win by coming out and going "We have 30m+ raised" he ****ing would. He isn't going to add yet another public L to his resume by going "We have a total of 8 million dollars of the 50 million dollars I made public 7 years ago and 5 million of that came from a single person that I didn't even know existed until she came to us and said that she wants to donate"

By remaining silent he isn't taking any actual PR/reputation hit. There are a few of us who actually track this and know the realities of where the funding is at, but the larger state of Iowa or UNI "fandom"? I'd be 99.5% are complete unaware of anything.

[not a drake fan]

https://insideuni.uni.edu/campus-community/university-northern-iowa-expands-our-tomorrow-fundraising-campaign-include-new

[Trapped in California]

Shamed into action?

[UNIAlum95]

That's really not action though. Framed as a big announcement, it was a big nothing burger. They really had not considered anything until there was apparent public pressure hence, no idea of cost, no concepts to share, not even an indication of hey we'd like to tie this into the McLeod and HPC to leverage existing infrastructure.

[clenz]

Shamed into action?

Shamed into making it look like action.
Shamed into pretending to care.

I feel bad for Pete. He isn't involved with any of David's failings, but he's the one forced to fall onto David's sword so that David can hide from facing even half an ounce of "tough questions".

Ethan Petrik asked Pete why the wrestling facility, basketball facility, and soccer facility were on the BOR approved plan for 2025 but have since been removed. That's on David, not Pete. Yet Pete is forced to answer it. David used the "traveling for university business" excuse to force Pete to do that press conference yesterday.

If you truly have a "major announcement" you make damn sure you are there as the AD - or you ****ing hold the presser for a day or two until you're back.

He's a spineless chicken **** of an AD.

But the naming rights are coming any day now.

[BCPanther]

The minute it was Pete and not David at that podium you knew it was a complete nothingburger. Schwab didn't even bother to show up and I can't at all blame him for it.

Going along with yesterday's announcement, I'd like to announce that I am in the planning stages of dating Anna Kendrick and I will make my plan public soon, very soon and it will depend on 15 other factors that I have decided to pass off to other people. In fact, I have folded it into a 5 year plan that I'm working on.

[ronfitch]

The minute it was Pete and not David at that podium you knew it was a complete nothingburger. Schwab didn't even bother to show up and I can't at all blame him for it.

Going along with yesterday's announcement, I'd like to announce that I am in the planning stages of dating Anna Kendrick and I will make my plan public soon, very soon and it will depend on 15 other factors that I have decided to pass off to other people. In fact, I have folded it into a 5 year plan that I'm working on.

I was going to call BS on this, but I got to the part about a 5-year plan ... so, def legit.

[DownGoesKansas]

We are a laughing stock of an athletic program that have a better chance of being D2 in 10 years than being competitive in anything.

Thanks David. #FireDavidHarris

[not a drake fan]

Since posting that link here I see that it was in the wrestling thread already.

I have to assume that Schwab has one foot out the door. Watching those poverty videos they put on Twitter, he looked embarrassed. I wouldn't blame him for a second if he leaves and part of me wishes he does, he deserves more.