When Tulane University first launched the most ambitious fundraising campaign in its history — Only the Audacious, the campaign for an ever bolder Tulane — the goal was to redefine what is possible for Tulane’s future.
Almost six years later, the campaign has raised more than $1.5 billion, which has helped improve almost every aspect of the university. Now, the momentum shows no sign of slowing as President Michael A. Fitts announced that the campaign will continue as Always the Audacious.
The new iteration of the campaign will focus on four key priorities: empowering the university’s world-class research enterprise, continuing to transform the holistic undergraduate student experience, sustaining excellence in Tulane’s ascendant athletics program, and fueling a major expansion of the university’s campus in downtown New Orleans.
“Tulanians are rewriting the narrative of what our university can achieve and what our student experience can be,” Fitts said. “Thanks to the unwavering commitment and support from alumni, parents and friends across the globe, we will continue this extraordinary trajectory of ambition, momentum and expansion together.”
The campaign will support 21st-century advances in climate, river and coastal sciences, emerging infectious diseases, brain health, healthy aging, health equity and much more while expanding and increasing lab spaces and infrastructure for clinical trials and translational research.
“Tulanians have come together like never before, unlocking achievements and initiatives undreamed of when Only the Audacious started,” said Cathy and Hunter Pierson, campaign co-chairs and Board of Tulane emeritus administrators. “We are entering a new era, and we are able to do so because the Tulane community has embraced the vision for the university’s limitless future.”
As Always the Audacious launches, Tulane is one of the most selective universities in the country with its incoming classes continually breaking records for academic quality and diversity. In addition, its faculty are receiving national recognition and honors at an astonishing rate and attracting more research funding than ever — an increase of 70 percent in the last six years. The university is also in the midst of a transformative, once-in-a-generation physical expansion on both its uptown and downtown campuses.
“Tulane’s current growth is historic, fueled by the audacious spirit of our community and our commitment to making a global impact. Let’s continue this extraordinary momentum and create a future where anything is possible,” said Richard Yulman, co-chair of Only the Audacious.
