$52 million gift from alumna Elisabeth DeLuca fuels record-breaking $1.5 billion university campaign
The University of Connecticut has kicked off the most ambitious fundraising effort in its history — the $1.5 billion Because of UConn campaign — ignited by a record-setting $52 million donation from nursing alumna Elisabeth DeLuca.
Announced at a high-energy launch event at UConn’s Avery Point campus, the historic campaign has already raised more than $720 million, marking a 76% jump in fundraising compared to this time last year.
DeLuca’s transformational gift, the largest publicly announced so far, will fund the construction of a cutting-edge nursing facility designed to address a growing statewide nursing shortage and to place UConn at the forefront of healthcare innovation.
Elisabeth DeLuca, a nurse and former wife of Subway founder and billionaire Fred DeLuca, announced the donation at the school’s groundbreaking.
She said she’s always wanted to see the nursing school expand from the little cottage building on the campus where she graduated in 1969.
“I have a passion for letting nurses be more prepared for when they enter the workforce,” DeLuca said.
“And we’re working with curriculum ideas and other innovations to make them be more ready when practicing on patients and face the real world of clinical practice they will be facing.”
“This campaign is a bold investment in the future of our students, our research, and our state,” said UConn President Radenka Maric. “Because of leaders like Elisabeth DeLuca, we are building a UConn that is bigger, brighter, and bolder than ever before.”
The Because of UConn campaign focuses on four key pillars: putting students first with expanded scholarships and career preparation; advancing academic and research excellence; promoting health and wellness innovations; and strengthening UConn’s athletic legacy.
Major gifts are also helping to turbocharge the campaign’s momentum, including $46.5 million from entrepreneur Peter J. Werth to fuel innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives, and more than $25 million from Denis and Britta Nayden to expand student success programming.
The campaign supports UConn’s ambitious 10-year Strategic Plan, aiming to boost six-year graduation rates from 83% to 90%, double the number of named scholarships, and expand groundbreaking research across UConn’s 80 research centers and 100 STEM facilities.
“With unprecedented support from our alumni, friends, and partners, UConn is stepping into a new era of excellence and impact,” said Amy Yancey, president and CEO of the UConn Foundation. “This is a transformative moment for UConn Nation.”
The public phase of the campaign runs through 2028.