By CHUCK STARESINIC
The University of Pittsburgh launched a $3 billion fundraising campaign, Proving Possible (provingpossible.pitt.edu), aimed at supporting students, faculty, researchers and staff across the University.
Chancellor Joan Gabel announced the public launch of the campaign on Sept. 25, during a celebration at the Petersen Events Center that was emceed by former Pitt wide receiver and recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Larry Fitzgerald.
“At its core, this campaign is about restating the promise of possible at Pitt,” said Gabel. “It is an investment in the leaders, doers and risk-takers who not only exemplify what can happen when talented people are given the opportunity to learn, discover, create and serve, but who will define Pitt's next chapter.”
This is the first such campaign since Building Our Future Together, which ran from 2000 to 2012 and raised $2.047 billion, exceeding its $2 billion goal.
At the launch, Gabel said the campaign has already raised almost $1.4 billion through early gifts and commitments, including:
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A $100 million gift by the Richard King Mellon Foundation in 2021 that launched the Pitt BioForge facility at Hazelwood Green, which is focused on manufacturing precision medicines.
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Two transformational gifts to the David C. Frederick Honors College. One from trustee David Frederick that led to the naming of the honors college in 2022, and another by investment firm leader Michael Rees that created the Rees-Chancellor's Scholars Program in 2025.
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A series of gifts from the Orland Bethel Family Foundation, notably creating a musculoskeletal research center in 2023 and making Orland Bethel one of the University's most generous lifelong donors.
Before the event, Gabel addressed the challenge of setting an ambitious fundraising goal in the current economic environment, noting that she had recently come from an event honoring some of Pitt's top donors and saying, “It's powerful to hear their stories about why this University had such a big impact on their lives when they were students, or if they were grateful patients, or if they're our partners. And to see their generosity gives us a lot of hope. It also inspires us, and it makes us very serious about holding ourselves accountable to the promise we've made to them from their earliest days with us: that when they invest in us, they're going to see the fruits of that investment.
"So, you think about how you want to do the very best work you can possibly do, and the kind of resources and investment that it takes to do that. Then, you set a target that is a reachable, ambitious goal, and that's how we came up with our total number. And the idea is that it's a very competitive effort with our peers. But really, what we're thinking about right now is the Pitt community and how we can work with our partners, our supporters and our friends to make sure that we fulfill our terms — that we prove it's possible at Pitt.”
In addition to the $3 billion figure, the University announced the following goals for the campaign:
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Ensure that every admitted student can attend the University regardless of their finances and without fear of student debt.
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Strengthen every aspect of the student experience, from classroom instruction and experiential learning to health, wellness, belonging and leadership development.
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Invest in faculty at every career stage, elevating ongoing work to attract and retain teachers, scholars and researchers who represent the best of what they do.
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Deepen Pitt's public impact through enduring partnerships, community and economic engagement, and connections with alumni around the globe.
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Focus the power of the University's full research enterprise, and its unique partnership with a world-class health care system, on solving challenges at the intersection of opportunity and distinction.
At the event, John Verbanac, chairperson of Pitt's Board of Trustees, said that “Proving Possible” will enhance Pitt's standing as a research powerhouse, adding, “The endowed scholarships, professorships and other gifts made through this campaign will strengthen Pitt for generations to come and sustain and advance its academic excellence.”
Verbanac will serve as ex-officio chair of the campaign cabinet. Campaign co-chairs are longtime trustees Debbi Gillotti and Pete Varischetti.
In addition to hearing from those on stage at the campaign launch — Fitzgerald, Gabel, Verbanac and Gillotti — guests on the festive, blue-and-gold-lit floor of the Pete experienced up-close-and-personal testimonials by Pitt students, faculty members and leaders who spoke powerfully about their experiences at Pitt.
These speakers were positioned at the four corners of the room representing the four campaign pillars: accelerating student success; advancing scholarship, creativity and innovation; cultivating community, partnership and impact; and “It's Possible at Pitt.”
They included Michael Levin, a student in the Frederick Honors College, a Rees-Chancellor’s Scholar and a leukemia survivor. Levin spoke movingly about how his college experience included “in just my second semester at Pitt, joining a lab investigating the very disease that I had survived just a few years back,” plus two additional positions in cancer research labs.
He closed by describing his future goals of attending medical school and advancing cancer research, “because, down the road, I hope that if a child is diagnosed with leukemia, I can make them a promise. A promise that their road to recovery will be much easier than mine. And that is proof that it’s possible here at Pitt.”
Chuck Staresinic is interim editor of the University Times. Reach him at chuck.s@pitt.edu.
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