Forging Forward: Rowan launches $240 million campaign to support students, innovation and impact

In a broad reflection of where Rowan University is today – and perhaps more importantly, where it’s going – the institution has launched the public portion of Forging Forward, an initiative aimed at raising more than $240 million to support students, innovation and regionwide impact.

With Forging Forward, the University seeks to raise twice as much as it did during its first institution-wide fundraising campaign six years ago.

Rowan President Ali A. Houshmand said the quiet, or private, portion of the campaign has already raised more than $200 million from individuals, groups and organizations that see the difference the University is making for students, especially in keeping high quality education affordable and accessible. It also speaks to the impact Rowan is making in building a robust, economically vibrant community.

“From our donors’ point of view, we really are an investment,” Houshmand said. “It's an investment that doesn't necessarily result in a financial return but an intangible that’s very important to a lot of people. Whether they’re investing in health care or education, in churches or the police, whatever they believe in, people give because their heart tells them to and we look for such people to engage with. And so far, we have done pretty well, even with people who never graduated from Rowan University, like Henry Rowan.”

Rowan’s Forging Forward campaign reflects a commitment to reimagining higher education as it fuels investment in three priority areas:

• Enhancing the student experience through scholarships, wellness initiatives and career pathways;
• Catalyzing research and innovation;
• Building the University of the Future, which includes transforming Rowan’s West Campus.

Rowan’s public campaign launch included a campus celebration inside the breathtaking new Student Center Expansion Sept. 19 attended by more than 500 students, faculty and staff.

Houshmand noted that the private portion of the campaign has been so successful in part because corporate donors, as well as individuals, are drawn to the momentum the University has built over the last 10-15 years. Major donors have included Virtua Health, which committed $85 million to expanding medical education through the Virtua Health College of Medicine & Life Sciences; $30 million from Gerry and Melanie Shreiber for the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine; and Rita and Larry Salva for the Rita & Larry Salva School of Nursing and Health Professions.

The public campaign start coincides with a period of unprecedented growth and expansion for the University, including the doubling of students to nearly 25,000 since 2012 and record enrollment this semester.

In fact, the Chronicle of Higher Education recently recognized Rowan as the fastest-growing public research institution in the Northeast and among the Top 10 nationally.

“People look for dynamism, momentum, ascension and when they look at a university like Rowan, that’s been growing year after year, they want to be a part of it,” Houshmand said. “We’re growing in size, by reputation, and in every facet that you can think of, and it’s creating a kind of energy, a buzz that people are excited about and want to invest in.”

Notably, Rowan this fall opened Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine, the first veterinary school in the state, making it just the second university in the nation to offer M.D., D.O. and D.V.M. medical programs. 

In March, Rowan opened Edelman Fossil Park & Museum, a world-class exhibit space and experiential learning center in which visitors study the ancient past, dig for 65 million-year-old fossils, and learn how they can protect Earth’s future.

Visit the campaign site to learn more.