On a crisp fall evening in October, many of the university and health system’s leaders gathered with donors, students, staff and community members to kick off the fifth comprehensive fundraising campaign for the University of Kansas, KU Academic Medical Center and The University of Kansas Health System. Named “Ever Onward,” this campaign will be the largest ever undertaken by KU, with a goal of raising at least $2.5 billion.

As I looked over the crowd, I was struck by the idea of connection. Everyone in the room had a connection to KU, and in some ways, each other. We collectively gathered to imagine what this campaign will mean for the growth and influence of the state’s flagship university. We are dreaming big, pressing ever onward, to ensure the region, the nation and the world benefit from the connections made here.

Can you imagine a world without the mark of KU on it? A world void of those KU connections that cultivate leaders, build healthy communities and make discoveries that change the world? Or a world void of The University of Kansas Health System, where patients receive the most innovative treatments and compassionate care from nationally recognized specialists and care teams?

For me, it is unimaginable because I see evidence of it every day. The imprint of KU is undeniable in the lives of many, including my own. The degrees I received from KU prepared and propelled me forward on my life’s career path. The groundbreaking clinical trials and world-class care provided to my father, who battled Alzheimer’s, and my sister, who fought cancer, will forever be a part of my story, even though their stories did not have the outcomes we hoped for.

But it is that hope for a better, brighter future that this campaign will foster. This historic campaign will empower aspirations of an even greater KU that will not only change the face and future of this university and health system, but the lives of everyone who comes in contact with these organizations. Before us is a boundless horizon, full of possibilities, propelled by visionary leaders, creative thinkers, leading scholars, skilled clinicians and curious researchers who together will create the connections we need to make tomorrow even better than it is today. Will you join us?

Ever Onward!

Connect with us and learn more about the Ever Onward campaign at kueveronward.org