It was a radical idea in 1853, the year of UF’s earliest roots. The assumption that institutions of higher learning weren’t for the elite alone. That common people — carpenters, innkeepers, farmers and merchants — should prosper, too. That a state university, created by decree with the consent of ordinary women and men, is meant to be a lantern in the darkness.
For that reason and with clear-eyed intent to form a more-perfect world, UF boldly embraced the call to GO GREATER.
“We were founded to be a university that makes a difference in people’s lives. We understand we need to have focused points of bright light, and we will continue to nurture our comprehensive excellence and breadth across all our colleges.”
— W. Kent Fuchs, president
To enlighten and lead
“We are all strong for old Florida, down where the old Gators play. In all kinds of weather, we’ll stick together, for F‑L‑O‑R‑I‑D‑A.”— Gators fight song
Enlightenment is the very core of the university’s reason for being. It’s our calling — to illuminate, to teach, to untangle and decode, to enable and empower.
To be a North Star in Florida’s southern sky.
It’s the generosity, the care, the foresight, the kindness and the selflessness of UF’s philanthropists that allow the University of Florida to be part of people’s lives — from first breath to last, and for whatever life brings between.
2014
“Al Warrington was our champion and our foundation”
Read MoreIn anticipation of the upcoming Go Greater campaign, alumnus Andrew Banks and his wife, Pamela, promise a gift to support faculty research and teaching; the Banks Family Preeminence Chairs are created
Alumnus Tom Johnson and his wife, Jane, commit a gift to remodel the O’Connell Center; the arena’s atrium is named in their honor
Go Greater campaign officially enters its silent phase
Alumni Stephen and Carol Shey pledge their 12,000-square-foot Gainesville estate, along with 657 pristine acres, to UF for a future conference retreat center
Alumna Anita Zucker provides the cornerstone gift to position UF as a world leader in understanding how young children learn, and to create programs that enhance teaching; UF’s Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies in the College of Education is named her honor
UF announces an ambitious plan to raise $100 million for low-income, first-generation Machen Florida Opportunity Scholarships; the goal is reached during the Go Greater campaign
2015
Alumna Gale King establishes a scholarship in the College of Journalism and Communications for first-generation, academically exceptional students from families with modest incomes
UF School of Art + Art History’s Focus Gallery is renamed the Gary R. Libby Gallery in honor of the longtime philanthropist and alumnus
Alumnus Bryon Herlong’s family gives a gift in his memory to support a new leadership institute that strengthens ties between athletics and academics, a literacy program and a scholarship in UF’s agriculture college
2016
Alumnus Andrew Banks and his wife, Pamela, extend their UF philanthropy with gifts to support faculty and the Machen Florida Opportunity Scholars program
Alumni Earl and Christy Powell cap the year with a commitment to reimagine the former campus home of UF’s presidents and improve treatments for inherited blindness, cystic fibrosis, diabetes and other diseases
2017
Alumnus Hugh Culverhouse issues his first in a series of challenges to the UF Law community to raise money for scholarships; the challenges raise millions for the college
Marguerite Haldeman pledges a memorial gift to support scholarships in industrial engineering in memory of her husband, alumnus Harold Haldeman
The Warren B. Nelms Institute for the Connected World is established with an investment from alumni David and Daryl Nelms; the institute is designed to lead research and education in all aspects of the intelligent connection of things, people and data
Go Greater goes public, with a goal to raise $3 billion
Alumnus Alex Moreno establishes a program and professorship in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering to develop new and more-efficient energies; it is the largest private commitment to chemical engineering in its 75-year history
Grateful pet owners Fran Marino and Steve Farrell create an endowment in the College of Veterinary Medicine to support its Shelter Medicine program
Alumnus Kenneth Treister donates his collection of architectural drawings, project files, correspondence, writings, photographs and documentary films to UF’s Smathers Libraries
2018
Following investments from alumna Anita Zucker to advance early childhood learning and health, UF hosts a nationwide summit for scholars, policymakers and practitioners
Alumna Trish Ring endows a dissertation fellowship for doctoral students studying psychology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Jon and Beverly Thompson Make a $10 Million Investment in UF, and the Planet
Read MoreUF’s College of Dentistry yearslong partnership with the Naples Children and Education Foundation is reinforced when the foundation invests in UF’s work in the pediatric dental clinic in south Florida
2019
Alumnus Richard Cole gives a transformational gift to establish a health law program in the Fredric G. Levin College of Law; his investment creates two health law professorships, a scholarship fund and an annual health law symposium
UF’s inaugural Stand Up and Holler: Gator Nation Giving Day is held; it becomes one of the most successful ever in all of higher education, with $12.6 million raised and 11,535 gifts in 24 hours
Dance Marathon at UF celebrates its 25th anniversary, raising a record $3.2 million that year for UF Shands Children’s Hospital
Alumnus Dr. Michael Lehtola and his partner, Bruce Bearden, make a pledge to the College of Medicine honoring Lehtola’s parents, Albert and Dorothy; their gift supports scholarships, research at UF’s Emerging Pathogens Institute, a fellowship and chair in radiology, and a professorship in medical education
2020
UF Announces $70 Million Artificial Intelligence Partnership with NVIDIA
Read MoreAlumni Jon and Melanie Antevy give the lead gift to renovate the College of Design, Construction and Planning’s architecture building; in gratitude, the building is named in their honor
Nearly 17,000 alumni, students and friends rally to support UF’s second annual Stand Up and Holler: Gator Nation Giving Day; Gators from as far away as Turkey, Israel, France and Hawaii together donate $23.6 million in 24 hours
Dance Marathon, the university’s annual student-run fundraiser for UF’s children’s hospital, brings in $2.5 million despite being hosted virtually because of pandemic-related restrictions; 5,363 donations are made during the 26.2 marathon
Gator couple Benny Vaughn and Joan Carroll create a scholarship in the College of Health and Human Performance to recruit top graduate students
Former UF professor and textbook author Eugene Brigham adds $10.5 million to his Brigham Finance Excellence Fund in the business college; his latest gift brings his total UF giving to more than $20 million
Alumni Rolf and Anne Kuhns invest in the College of Public Health and Health Professions to boost their existing endowed chair and scholarship fund in the physical therapy department
2021
Thousands of alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends contribute $25.4 million during UF’s third annual Stand Up and Holler: Gator Nation Giving Day; the 22,198 individual gifts are the most ever in a 24-hour period
Alumni Ken and Linda McGurn make their largest gift to the Florida Museum of Natural History to fund a $32 million expansion to house the Thompson Earth Systems Institute; the new wing is named the Ken and Linda McGurn Exhibition Hall; the couple also establishes a fellowship program in the College of Journalism and Communications and the Levin College of Law to promote media integrity and to fight against disinformation
Go Greater surpasses its original $3 billion goal, with more than a year remaining in the eight-year campaign
The Machen Florida Opportunity Scholars program celebrates its 15th anniversary and announces that, thanks to donors, it will increase its number of four-year scholarships to 400 for future freshmen classes
Dr. Sandy Fackler establishes the Fackler Family UF Health President’s Neuromedicine Endowment to support pioneering work and research, especially concerning Alzheimer’s disease and addictive medicine
Prime real estate in downtown West Palm Beach is donated to UF so it can build an academic center for as many as 1,000 graduate students and up to 100 faculty in financial services, financial technology and artificial intelligence; the south Florida campus is expected to eventually grow to 1 million square feet, and is tentatively scheduled to open in fall 2026
Businessman Ken Griffin gives the College of Education a leadership gift to drive the expansion of its K-12 computer science education program
A new alliance with IBM is launched to expand UF’s vision to be an international leader in artificial intelligence and finance-related research; the collaboration helps faculty and students develop skillsets that align with industry needs and trends in A.I., cybersecurity, quantum cloud computing and data science
UF climbs to No. 5 in U.S. News and World Report’s annual list of best public universities
2022
Former UF trustee Dr. Steve Scott invests in UF’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to boost discoveries in its chemistry department and support future chemists; in recognition, the chemistry building is named the Scott Family Chemistry Building
Gators give a school record 26,052 gifts, worth $20.2 million, during UF’s annual 24-hour Stand Up and Holler: Gator Nation Giving Day; contributions boost scholarships, enhance academic programs and support outreach projects that benefit families and communities
Businessman and diabetes advocate Joe Peurrung invests in UF Health’s cutting-edge work in pain medicine and addiction treatment
Scripps Research’s Florida campus becomes part of UF Health to accelerate biomedical discoveries; the new partnership is called UF Scripps Biomedical Research
Longtime booster Hugh Hathcock gives the largest single gift ever to UF Boosters to renovate the basketball practice facility and support UF Athletics’ master plan
The Condron Family Ballpark, named in honor of alumnus Gary Condron, is unveiled when the Gators take on No. 1-ranked Tennessee; Condron’s latest gift brings his investments in UF Athletics to more than $30 million
Alumnus Bruno Ramos and his wife, Maritza, make a commitment to help fund the renovation of the College of Design, Construction and Planning’s architecture building
For the second consecutive year, Gators contribute more than $500 million to UF in a single year; the total giving during Go Greater tops $4 billion
Initiatives
Gators Going Greater
UF was able to Go Greater because of its people. Their expertise, uncommon talents and intellectual curiosity. Gators — professors, students and alumni — are UF’s heart, the people who transform ideas into solutions and investigations into results.
Meet some of the hundreds of thousands of Gators Going Greater. Click on a Gator's name to read their story.
In All Kinds of Weather
During UF’s darkest days, Rahul Patel “saw a community come together” on the Gainesville campus. That Gator spirit left an indelible impression.
The Accidental Trailblazer
As the country — and UF — confronted racism, Maude Brown Lofton found herself taking a chance on a school and a profession that had once been largely closed to her
A Giving Gator’s Motto: “Learn, Earn, Return.”
From pool halls and Marine barracks to the Ivy League and the C‑suite, Tom Johnson’s life has taken surprising turns. But he’s never forgotten his roots
A United Front for Good
They fell in love in a most unromantic spot – an early morning accounting class. But over 50 years later, this Gator couple remains committed to each other — and to UF.
“City” CEO, Community Champion
His business is a household name, but this Gator great believes the measure of real success is in giving back.
A Traveler's Guide to a Successful Life
For Jane Sun, UF was an early stop on her way to helming Asia’s largest online travel agency
“I’ve had a guardian angel looking after me.”
Scott Hawkins discovered early on his knack for leadership, and he’s used that talent to help others Go Greater in their own lives.
The best is yet to come
Go Greater was a determination, embraced across campus. To continue that pursuit, the university looks to caring philanthropists — the people who feed ingenuity and exploration and create doers and bring ideas to life, imagination to fruition, promise to fulfilment and potential to exceptional. It’s those partnerships with far-sighted leaders that will make UF even more spectacular and enable the university to touch the lives of Earth’s 7 billion people.