University of Maryland Launches Forward: The University of Maryland Campaign for the Fearless

The largest fundraising campaign in the university's history aims to elevate interdisciplinary initiatives and build on momentum as a Top 20 public institution

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Nov. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Maryland announces today the launch of its largest fundraising campaign in history: Forward: The University of Maryland Campaign for the Fearless. The $2.5 billion initiative advances the university's vision and values by expanding access to its world-class education, accelerating groundbreaking research, and uniting a global community committed to excellence and a mission to Do Good.

Forward will fuel the university's momentum as a Top 20 public research institution by supporting discovery and innovation in artificial intelligence, quantum science, the arts and more. It will also invest in key areas to enhance the student experience and strengthen the academic enterprise.

The campaign will focus on three themes:

• Forward for Tomorrow's Trailblazers - Expanding and enhancing access to education that prepares the world's future leaders and changemakers to launch careers in a quickly evolving job market.
• Forward for Bold and Brave Solutions - Making groundbreaking discoveries and spinning out innovations that tackle our world's most pressing problems.
• Forward for Stronger Communities - Deepening Terrapin pride, supporting student-athletes, elevating the visual and performing arts, fostering civic engagement and coming together to Do Good.

"The Forward campaign is a turning point. It will change the conditions through which our students, faculty and staff are able to reach their goals, achieve their dreams and make a positive impact in the world," said University of Maryland President Darryll J. Pines. "We will begin a new era in education and research that develops a fearless generation and makes real change for real people."

This transformative campaign launches with a strong foundation, with $943 million raised since November 2021 from many generous donors and through landmark gifts from benefactors such as the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation, civil engineering alum Stanley Zupnik '59, mathematics Professor Emeritus Michael and the late Eugenia Brin and the Sergey Brin Family Foundation, cell biology and molecular genetics Professor Anne Simon and sports marketing pioneer Steve Schanwald '77. Their investments support education in fundamental and groundbreaking subjects while also teaching students skills to solve problems, launch brands and businesses, and find innovative ways to serve their communities.

"The heart of the Forward campaign lies within realizing the potential of people: the discoveries they will make, the lives they will touch and the communities they will serve," said Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice. "We're ready to think big, courageously take on grand challenges, believe in a better future for all, and celebrate the people who make it possible."

Set in motion by the university's 2022 strategic plan, Forward will accelerate the university's progress in delivering impact in service to the public good. It follows the success of Fearless Ideas: The Campaign for Maryland, a record-breaking, multiyear fundraising effort that generated more than $1.5 billion in philanthropic investments.

"This campaign is about building a future as bold as the dreams that walk this campus daily," said Campaign Co-chair Jimmy Reyes '85. "It's about the fearless spirit that defines Maryland in every area of study. It's about every student and every breakthrough."

To learn more about Forward: The University of Maryland Campaign for the Fearless, visit forward.umd.edu.

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SOURCE University of Maryland