On April 11, the UA will launch the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in its history, aiming to raise more than $1 billion to support the ambitious goals outlined in the University’s Never Settle strategic plan.

To celebrate, the University will host a campaign kickoff event starting at 2 p.m. with talks and tours across campus. Participants will learn about the University’s people, its laboratories and its creative spaces, and also hear about the UA’s philanthropic priorities. A full schedule of talks and tours can be found here.

The kickoff will include the Interactive Expo of Excellence, to be held on the UA Mall just east of Old Main at 4:30 p.m. The expo will feature 30 booths on solar cars, autonomous vehicles, robotics, advances in 3-D printing, poetry and much more. The event gives members of the UA and Tucson communities the chance to meet UA researchers and students who are excelling in their fields.

At 6:30 p.m. the University will officially announce the public campaign and follow it up with a fireworks display. At 7:30 p.m., the band American Authors will perform at Spring Fling, one of the largest student-run carnivals in the nation, which is happening at the east end of the UA Mall.

Like other universities throughout the United States, the UA relies on private support to maintain its competitive advantage and fiscal health. With state funding in continual decline, philanthropic support is critical.

“The University of Arizona is looking toward the future. We need to provide a world-class education to our students and make sure they get real-world experience outside the classroom. When they graduate, we want them to be fully prepared to take on the challenges and opportunities ahead,” UA President Ann Weaver Hart said. “We also need to continue bringing the best minds to the UA to conduct research and teach future generations, and we need to build more partnerships that can help us extend what we’re doing here for the benefit of the state, the nation and the world.

“This campaign will enable us to do that. It will push us to a new level of excellence.”

That excellence is the idea behind the Never Settle strategic plan, whose initiatives the campaign will help support. Built on four pillars – engaging, innovating, partnering and synergy – Never Settle is designed to advance the University’s 21st century land-grant mission and boost the statewide economy and beyond by graduating students who possess real-world experience.

The campaign also will provide continued support for those areas in which the University is world-renowned, such as the environmental sciences, optics, astronomy, bioscience and geology.

The National Science Foundation has ranked the UA No. 3 in physical sciences research, 19th in research and 30th among public and private universities and colleges. In addition, the UA is one of the nation’s top producers of Fulbright Scholars.

The UA has not had a comprehensive university campaign since the close of the $1 billion effort known as Campaign Arizona.

“This is an exciting time for the University of Arizona,” said James H. Moore Jr., president and CEO of The University of Arizona Foundation. “Because our fundraising goals are linked to the University’s strategic plan, this campaign will have far-reaching impact on the future of the University.”

To learn more about Never Settle, visit the website.