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The Campaign for Marist: Marist College Sets
Five-Year Fund-Raising Goal of $75 Million

Four hundred Marist College alumni, trustees, friends, faculty, staff, and students gathered together to help kick off the College's first-ever comprehensive capital campaign, the Campaign for Marist, which will raise $75 million for the College over the next five years.

"At every great educational institution in America, there has been a pivotal point in its history when those who loved the institution made extraordinary commitments to ensure its future success," Marist President Dennis J. Murray told guests at a kickoff party at the Metropolitan Club in New York City Nov. 9. "Marist is now at such a pivotal point. The Campaign for Marist will be a transformational moment in the life of our college."

"Through the Campaign for Marist, we'll improve every facet of our institution and devote particular attention to the endowment, which is critical to our long-term success," Murray said. He announced that the campaign will support:

• construction and expansion of academic facilities
• creation of faculty chairs
• recruitment and retention of first-rate professors
• recruitment of talented and competitive students through endowed scholarships and increased financial aid
• music, art, theatre, and athletics programs for students
• creation of "centers of excellence" like the Marist Institute for Public Opinion and Marist's Hudson River Valley Institute within each of the College's seven schools
• programs that foster awareness of and help the less fortunate in society

Left to right, Marist President Dennis J. Murray, Chair of the Board of Trustees Robert R. Dyson, and Trustee and Campaign Committee Chair Timothy G. Brier '69 spoke at the kickoff of the Campaign for Marist at the Metropolitan Club in New York City Nov. 9. Photo by Matthew Gillis.

Rob Dyson, chairman of Marist's Board of Trustees and CEO of the Dyson-Kissner-Moran Corporation, proudly announced the $75 million goal to the crowd. He added that $45 million of the goal had already been raised during a silent phase of the campaign over the past year, with many of the leadership gifts.

"The Campaign for Marist is about all of us- alumni, parents, and friends- doing what we can to make a stretch commitment to the campaign," Dyson said. "We will be committing to the future of Marist College and all that our students, faculty, and graduates will be able to accomplish with this type of support."

"This is truly a historic moment for Marist College," said Tim Brier, a 1969 graduate of Marist, Marist trustee, and chair of the campaign committee. He told the guests his Marist experience studying abroad in London led to his career in the travel industry; he is a co-founder of the travel service Priceline.com. "Many of you out there have had your own special encounter with a Marist person or situation that was transformational in your life. For those of us who have gone to Marist or have been involved in some other way . . . we really are who we are because of our time there."

For more information about the Campaign for Marist, contact Robert West, vice president for college advancement, at (845) 575-3412 or robert.west@marist.edu.