Campaign for the Colleges
Concurrent with the William Smith Centennial, the Colleges were also conducting a massive fundraising campaign, The Campaign for the Colleges.
Planning for the campaign began in 2001. The major goals were to raise the endowment from $155.5 million to $200 million, build a performing arts center, renovate the Scandling Center, and increase annual giving. The goal was to raise $160 million in total.
The William Smith Centennial was an excellent opportunity to motivate potential donors, and the plan was to match William Smith's original $475,000 donation in 2006 dollars, which was $12 million.
Seven-million of that total would go towards the Centennial Center for Leadership and endowed scholarships. Susan Lloyd Yolen '72, President of the William Smith Alumnae Association and former trustee said, "The Centennial is a call to action. It's an opportunity for women to stand up and become active in the future of the Colleges."
The Campaign for the Colleges began on September 21, 2006 with a kick-off event in Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, in New York City. Four-hundred and fifty people attended. The Hobartones and Three Miles Lost performed, and Bill Whitaker '73 LHD '97 of CBS news was master of ceremonies. At the launch, it was announced that $90 million had already been raised privately.
There was also an on-campus kick-off event in October. Held in the Bristol Field House, it included the Hobart Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Dinner, dancing, student performances, and a viewing of the campaign film. Earlier in the day, the Goldstein Family Carriage House and Katherine D. Elliott Studio Arts Center were dedicated.
The Herald wrote, "Certainly, it will be a night to remember in the history of Hobart and William Smith Colleges."
