UNH Raises $4 Million at Innovation Celebration Announcing Campaign

The event, the 33rd Annual Alumni Scholarship Ball, was called the Innovation Celebration and was attended by more than 400 of the university’s most devoted benefactors. They gave generously to kick off the $100 million campaign designed to coincide with the university’s centennial in 2020.

The funds they contributed at the black-tie event support student scholarships and the construction of a new $30 million Innovation Center, which will provide space for students and faculty to collaborate on groundbreaking projects.

"The response was nothing short of extraordinary," said President Steven H. Kaplan. "More than $4 million was committed that night, which is remarkable considering that an event like this usually generates far less. The outpouring of support set the stage for a campaign that we believe will exceed all of its goals and further strengthen the foundation of an already great university."

A highlight of the Innovation Celebration was the student showcase that illustrated some of the cutting-edge work being conducted by UNH students.

"Many of the guests commented to me about how impressed they were by the students, their high level of intellect and their lofty goals for the future," Kaplan said. "The students were wonderful ambassadors for the university and terrific examples of the transformational impact of a UNH education."

The showcase featured a hovercraft and bartending robot built by students from the Tagliatela College of Engineering; a music and sound recording studio manned by students from the College of Arts and Sciences, where guests could record their singing; 3-D paper sculptures made by students at UNH’s Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts; a crime scene with portable DNA, fingerprinting and other equipment manned by students at the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences; and economy game theory exercises demonstrated by the College of Business.

A video that explains The Charger Challenge can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbrlezzfIYo.  For a video that provides a student perspective on the campaign, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzAzjT1TKHU.

About the University of New Haven

The University of New Haven is a private, top-tier comprehensive institution recognized as a national leader in experiential education. Founded in 1920, the university enrolls approximately 1,800 graduate students and more than 5,000 undergraduates.