🔒Univ. of New Haven says it has raised $100M in commitments since 2024

The University of New Haven has secured more than $100 million in new philanthropic commitments over the past 30 months, including $32 million in fiscal 2026, the West Haven school announced Wednesday. The university said the fiscal 2026 total was a record, and that its cumulative commitments have more than doubled since 2024. The money is being directed toward multiple projects, including a new home for the Pompea College of Business, the school’s move to NCAA Division I athletics, and the launch of a campus in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Philanthropy is also funding an internship-signing bonus program, scholarships for Afghan women, outreach programs through the university’s Jensen Center for Applied Justice, and a new venture called The Elevation Center, a planned center for student, faculty and industry collaboration. President Jens Frederiksen described the results as a vote of confidence from donors. “Our fundraising success reflects a growing recognition that higher education has reached a defining moment,” Frederiksen said. Brian Otis, vice president for university advancement, said donors are “investing in a university that is unapologetically focused on impact.” The university did not break down how much of the $100 million has been received in cash versus pledged over a period of years. The 30-month window tracks closely with Frederiksen’s tenure. He became president in early 2024. Many of the projects in the announcement are already underway. The university received a $10 million leadership gift in April 2025 from Dennis Martin, a 1981 graduate and chairman of the board of Federal Signal Corp., to anchor the Pompea College building. University officials said at the time that the project was one piece of a three-year, $150 million fundraising goal for campus construction and renovation. In March, the university filed plans with the West Haven Planning and Zoning Commission for a four-story, 50,000-square-foot building on a 5.2-acre site at Avenue and Ruden Street. Earlier descriptions of the project put it at 80,000 square feet and roughly $45 million. The business school moved from a satellite campus in Orange back to the main West Haven campus in fall 2025. The new building is expected to include a simulated trading floor, an artificial intelligence and business analytics lab and an auditorium, with a phased opening beginning in 2028. Last May, the university accepted an invitation to the Northeast Conference and began reclassifying from Division II to Division I athletics. It will not gain full Division I membership, or NCAA championship eligibility, until 2028-29. The university’s Riyadh campus will open this fall with a College of Business and Digital Innovation and an incoming class of as many as 500 students. The campus is expected to eventually serve a student body of 13,000. Founded in 1920, the University of New Haven enrolls roughly 9,200 students at its campuses in West Haven and Tuscany, Italy.