University of Alabama closes its Rising Tide 2.0 campaign at more than $2.1 billion

The University of Alabama has closed its 10-year Rising Tide 2.0 campaign with more than $2.1 billion in charitable commitments, the university announced on October 12. UA called it the most successful capital campaign for higher education in the state's history.

The campaign launched publicly in September 2021. UA said it passed an earlier goal of $1.5 billion in 2024 and a raised goal of $1.8 billion in 2025. In 2022 the university described the effort as a 10-year campaign concluding in 2026, with more than $1.16 billion raised at that point.

A broad base under the big gifts

UA said more than 196,000 donors made over one million gifts. The total includes 310 gifts of $1 million or more and 594,019 gifts of $100 or less. More than 118,000 people made their first gift to UA during the campaign, and the university said giving set records in four consecutive years, averaging $225 million or more a year.

Two colleges were named with gifts that set up fully discretionary funds: the J. Frank Barefield Jr. College of Arts and Sciences, after a $35 million commitment from alumnus Frank Barefield, president of Abbey Residential, and the Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering, after a $25 million commitment from Catherine Styslinger in honor of her late husband, the founder of Altec.

Where the money went

According to UA, donors gave nearly $425 million to endowed scholarships, $94 million to support faculty and more than $1 billion to student-focused programs and initiatives. More than $538 million was committed to facilities, covering more than 800,000 square feet of new and renovated space, from Hewson Hall for the Culverhouse College of Business, backed by a $15 million gift from James and Marillyn Hewson, to the Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium renovation. The Smith Family Center for the Performing Arts, supported by a $20 million commitment from Clay, Cameron and Linda Smith, is set to open in 2027.

The campaign created 1,212 new scholarship endowments and 84 new endowments to support faculty. UA said endowed scholarship money awarded has risen 37% since 2016, and the number of students receiving endowed scholarships 38%.

"The success of The Rising Tide 2.0 reflects the deep belief our alumni, friends and supporters have in The University of Alabama and in the promise of our students, faculty, staff and future," said UA President Peter Mohler in the announcement.

What the announcement does not say

The $2.1 billion counts commitments, which typically include pledges and planned gifts that will be paid over years. UA did not break out how much has been received in cash or how much is deferred, and it did not give a separate figure for athletics, though several of the named facilities are athletic venues.

What other campaigns can take from it

In our view, the most useful numbers for smaller shops are the donor counts, not the headline. A campaign of this size still drew nearly 600,000 gifts of $100 or less and 118,000 first-time donors, the same pattern behind Northern Iowa's $342.8 million campaign. Raising a goal mid-campaign, as UA did twice, works best when the board has already agreed on what the extra money is for. Boards should also ask how much of a total is pledged and how much is in hand, a question that applies to every restricted gift on the books.