Initiating a capital campaign to raise as much as $100 million for University improvement and enhancing SIUC’s image are two of the goals of Institutional Advancement’s strategic business plan, which was unveiled Monday.

Tom Britton, acting vice chancellor for Institutional Advancement, said the plan, which is divided into four goals, calls for a restructuring of some aspects of Institutional Advancement.

The business plan identifies the principle role of Institutional Advancement as the cultivation of private support for the University, he said.

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A main focus of the plan is to increase private contributions to the University. The overall goal is to double the amount of University’s private gift donations.

Never in the history of the University has there been a greater need for private financial support, the strategic business plan states.

Elaine Hyden, vice president for planning and budget services, said private fund-raising has become a necessary source for SIU’s funding.

According to audited financial statements, in fiscal year 1976, Illinois tax dollars funded 60 percent of SIU. In fiscal year 1997, tax dollars funded 42 percent of SIU.

It’s not just at SIU. It’s at all institutions nationwide that have experienced a decrease of state funding as a proportion of total funding, Hyden said. So we need to rely on our donor base more and more.

The plan further states that Institutional Advancement should study and launch a major capital campaign with a target of raising as much as $100 million.

We have not set the final goal of the campaign yet and will not until we determine a realistic goal of what can do, Britton said.

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John Jackson, vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and provost, said such a campaign is feasible.

I believe it’s time for us to do that, to get into the planning stage, and to assume a very ambitious capital campaign, Jackson said. If the University of Illinois can launch a $1-billion capital campaign, then we can do some fraction of that.

On Jan. 1, 1991, the University of Illinois began a $1 billion fund-raising campaign to support students, faculty and programs.

Jackson said such a fund-raising campaign could fulfill many needs at the University.

The needs are legion, but on the academic side of the house we need more scholarships particularly for academically talented students, which other universities are competing for, Jackson said. We also have a need for facilities. We have crying needs for the Physical Plant and facilities for teaching and research that also can be addressed.

In addition to fund-raising, Britton said part of the plan deals with creating a communications unit that would communicate SIUC’s positive environment to the University staff and students and to surrounding communities.

Britton said this unit would first conduct a communications audit to determine what existing publications, advertising plans and electronic communications are in place.

He said the committee would then develop a communications plan that would offer different strategies for reaching different audiences.

One goal of the committee would be to enhance the image of the University.

One thing I’m working on is how to get a handle on and consciously cultivate the image of this University realistically, Britton said. We have to displace the party-school image and not deny that our students have a good time but provide a far more accurate portrayal of what we are.

Jackson said the business plan should benefit the entire University.

It is recognition that a decreasing share of our total budget has come from the state general revenue fund, and that we are now well below 50 percent of the total budget, he said. What we have done in part (to compensate) is increasing the burden on students over years through tuition process.

This is a fine step forward for that entire operation.