Southern Methodist University knows had to fundraise.
SMU University officials announced Monday that in seven days, “SMU has raised $100 million to support the Mustangs’ transition to the Atlantic Coast Conference.”
“This is an unprecedented financial commitment from a core group of donors who have understood from the beginning that moving to the ACC will be transformational for our University on both athletic and academic levels,” SMU President R. Gerald Turner stated in a release. “While there is still much work to be done, the ability to rally this kind of support in just one short week demonstrates that SMU and Dallas recognize the excellence of this opportunity and are stepping up to support it.”
LINK: SMU Raises ‘Unprecedented’ $100M In Seven Days
On Sept. 1, the ACC Board of Directors voted to formally admit Cal, Stanford and SMU to the conference beginning in 2024.
The $100 million raised “will enable SMU to align and compete with an elite group of national institutions with powerhouse athletic programs, benefitting both SMU Athletics and the entire University community,” according to a release, and came from a group of 30 donors that includes trustees and key donors.
“When we announced on September 1 that SMU would be joining the ACC, I was highly confident that we would be able to cover the cost of the transition into what is one of the top three collegiate athletic conferences in the country,” Chair of the SMU Board of Trustees David B. Miller stated in a release. “To be able to raise this level of support in such a short period of time is astounding. It is an incredible start in our campaign to position SMU to compete for championships. I cannot express how grateful I am for the visionary leadership it demonstrates.”
According to a release, media coverage of SMU’s move to the ACC generated “more than $163 million in advertising value in the first three days.” The Mustangs also saw men’s basketball season ticket sales jump 30% in the past week and “hundreds of new football season tickets being sold as well.”
“”SMU is entering an exciting new era, made possible in large part by this small core group of donors,” SMU Director of Athletics Rick Hart stated in a release. “The news has energized not just our fanbase, but the Dallas community. Every metric we have has jumped in the last week, and we look forward to continuing that momentum both this year and next year as we begin ACC play.”
