By Eric Stock

NORMAL – Illinois State University is revealing its most ambitious fundraising campaign in history, an effort that’s nearly 70 percent complete.

Redbird Rising: The campaign for Illinois State has already topped $103 million as it strives to reach $150 million by June of 2020.

President Larry Dietz told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin the campaign has three main pillars: student and faculty support, leadership which includes graduating socially-engaged citizens and innovation which includes creative workspaces and technology.

“We are now in the loud the noisy phase when we’ve been in the quiet phase for a while, so we are ready to go now,” Dietz said. “We appreciate all the support that we’ve gotten thus far and we have more to do.”

PODCAST: Listen to Scott’s interview with Dietz and co-chair Dan Kelley on WJBC.

Dan Kelley of Normal, one of six co-chairs, said the university will be reaching out to its 210,000 alumni.

“Part of the goal of my co-chairs and I is to connect with alumni and friends of the university directly, personally,” Kelley said. “Phone solicitation is difficult. We still do some of that, but it’s really about the relationships we have, especially with alumni.”

The campaign has already added 14,000 new donors.

ISU’s last major fundraising effort, Redefining Normal, brought in $96 million in a campaign that ended in 2004.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].