The Campaign for Monmouth University | Gift Support

Securing Monmouth’s Future: A Bold Path Forward

In 2021, Monmouth University launched a five-year strategic plan, Excellence. Access. Ambition., that crystalized our focus on providing top-tier academic programs while ensuring that a Monmouth education remained within reach for deserving students regardless of their means. The plan also set forth a bold goal: to make Monmouth University a national leader at integrating excellence and access by becoming the most highly ranked private institution of its kind.

Now, Monmouth has launched a comprehensive fundraising campaign of the same name to fuel and sustain that vision. With a goal of $175 million, Excellence. Access. Ambition. is the largest fundraising campaign in the University’s history. It will elevate academic quality, expand educational opportunities, enhance our campus, and establish Monmouth University as a leading force in higher education.

$175 Million

Campaign Co-Chairs,
Joan Mercer and Henry D. Mercer, III ’87, ’17HN

Today’s challenges in higher education present a tremendous opportunity for institutions willing to rise to the occasion, and Monmouth intends to do so. This Campaign is the largest fundraising effort in Monmouth’s history and we have the fullest intention to meet and exceed this impressive goal.

However, just as Hawks never fly alone, we cannot meet our ambitions without the support of our Monmouth family. It will take legions of alumni and friends—like us—to make the next chapter of Monmouth University stronger than the last. No matter what motivates you—enhancing the campus’ magnificent infrastructure, increasing the endowment, impacting scholarships, faculty research, student life, or any of the programs that keep Monmouth relevant in the marketplace—your commitment to any of the key priorities will further accelerate our progress. Join us in making an impact.

Transform Students’ Lives—and Monmouth’s Future

Monmouth University has always been a place where ambition meets opportunity, where deserving students from all backgrounds can reach new heights through the power of a first-rate, private education. But as the higher education landscape changes, the University faces new challenges—from increased competition for students to the growing need for financial aid.

Excellence. Access. Ambition. will enable Monmouth to rise above these challenges by supporting the campaign’s three key priorities:

1) Enhancing the Campus

Strategic investments will enrich our state-of-the-art facilities, creating an exceptional learning environment and strengthening the Monmouth experience. Projects include two major new facilities—the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music, which broke ground in fall 2024, and the Student Wellness Center, a dynamic expansion of the OceanFirst Bank Center’s health and fitness facilities—as well as significant enhancements to existing living and learning spaces.

Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music

The new $47 million Center will draw tens of thousands of visitors from around the state, the country, and the world each year. The environmentally-friendly, 30,000-square-foot interactive museum experience will feature three permanent galleries, one temporary exhibition gallery, conference and research space, three listening studios, a replica of Springsteen’s writing room, and a 244-seat theater.

Student Wellness Center

An extension of the existing OceanFirst Bank Center, and initially seeded by our friends at Hackensack Meridian Health, this $28 million, 23,000-square-foot expansion will enhance the health and wellness of our students. Comprised of four main sections, this functional and attractive space will include: a main lounge; a sports medicine and athletic training lab with hydrotherapy pools; flexible wellness space; and an enlarged fitness center.

Campus Gateway

This new main artery of the Monmouth campus will begin at Pollak Theatre and traverse the southwestern grounds, connecting the new Nagy Common—an outdoor student plaza featuring a fire pit and lounge chairs—with a new student gathering space featuring a four-sided clock, fixed seating, adjoining the Great Hall.

2) Endowing Academic Excellence and Student Access

A robust endowment is essential for sustaining Monmouth’s long-term stability and ambitions. By growing the University’s endowment, we will ensure that resources are in place to support financial aid needs, faculty development, and innovative academic programming needed for Monmouth to continue serving students for generations to come.

3) Annual Funds to Support Students Today

Annual support provides resources that directly benefit today’s students by meeting immediate needs for scholarships, student programming, hands-on learning opportunities, and enhancements to campus life. Increasing annual funds enables Monmouth to respond to emerging opportunities and challenges, preparing students for successful post-graduate careers.

The results of Monmouth’s commitment to integrating excellence and access are already evident. The University recently achieved its highest-ever ranking in U.S. News & World Report, and received national recognition for promoting social mobility, while welcoming a growing number of first-generation and low-income students. Your investment in Excellence. Access. Ambition. will ensure Monmouth University continues to rise as a place of unparalleled academic quality, educational opportunity, and upward mobility. Join us in this ambitious undertaking to transform students’ lives and secure Monmouth’s future as a national leader at integrating excellence and access.

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