Annual QU Fund surpasses $1.3 million goal for 2022-23

QUINCY – Quincy University announced Thursday it has surpassed its annual QU Fund goal of $1.3 million for the 2022-23 year. 

The annual QU Fund brought in $1,318,880, the largest amount in university history. The QU Fund is comprised of unrestricted giving and gifts for academic departments, student clubs and organizations, and the athletic department. 

Combining the QU Fund with gifts to endowment and restricted gifts, the university raised a total of $5,864,270, the fourth highest in university history. This fundraising total, coupled with the total from the last year’s campaign, equates to more than $16 million raised in the last two years. 

“This record-breaking year for the QU Fund is the latest reminder that Quincy University is on the move, with transformational fundraising, growing enrollments, new programs and important renovations to our historic campus,” QU President Brian McGee said in a press release. “So many members of our community, including generations of our loyal alumni, have generously contributed to ensure that QU offers programs of exceptional quality and value. I am grateful that support for Success by Design at QU — our commitment to the success of each individual student — continues to grow.”

The number of donors investing in QU this year was 3,223, the largest number of donors in the last 13 years. 

“We are thrilled by the support we have received from QU alumni, friends and family from around the world. In this challenging time for higher education, we celebrate the generosity of so many and the lives of students, faculty and staff who will be positively affected by this funding,” said Robert Wyatt, QU vice president of advancement. “We are honored to have served this region to train tomorrow’s leaders for more than 160 years. Support like this allows us to do so for many years to come.”

Quincy University faculty and staff support of the fundraising campaign also met the record set last year with 98 percent participation. Faculty/staff participation for the last several years prior to the 2021-2022 campaign was in the 80 percent range. 

This year’s QU Fund chairs were Jim Mooney, a 1970 graduate of QU, and his wife Mary Mooney from Naples, Fla. The Mooneys invested in this year’s annual drive, made personal fundraising calls, helped author appeal letters and provided advice and counsel for this year’s fund. 

“We are in total support of QU and understand that the university benefits the city of Quincy to the tune of about $60 million a year,” Jim Mooney said. 

The QU Fund raises money each year to support student scholarships, campus enhancements, technology upgrades and faculty development initiatives. The annual fund gifts are unrestricted, meaning they can be spent as they come in, making an immediate impact. Support of the QU Fund ensures that the mission and vision of Quincy University continue.

“It’s my understanding that about 98 percent of the students who arrive at Quincy University receive some type of financial aid. This is a big deal to the university and to the students, and I’m so excited to be a part of that,” Mary Mooney said.

The QU Fund helps fuel QU’s Success by Design initiative, in which each student completes an individualized success plan for on-time graduation and the pursuit of a life of meaning and purpose.