The Momentum Continues: UD Moves Forward with Exciting Vision for the Future

DUBUQUE, Iowa - There's a lot to celebrate as the University of Dubuque's Momentum Campaign reaches the one-year anniversary of its official launch.

When the three-year, $150 million campaign was announced on October 2, 2025, it had already secured $117 million in commitments during the quiet phase. Today, UD's Momentum Campaign has surpassed $135 million.

"At the University of Dubuque, we've been talking a lot about what does a college of the future look like. What will the needs of our students be in the future? Every generation has had to answer that question, and this is our time at the University of Dubuque to ask it again. The Momentum Campaign has been a way to align resources around the needs of our students - both current and those in the future," said Travis Frampton, PhD, president of the University.

As shared at the campaign launch, UD is moving forward with an exciting vision for the future. Construction is underway on the 87,000-square-foot Chlapaty Center for Innovation, where exploration, collaboration, and hands-on learning will prepare students for the workforce and position them for success. Renovations to the Edward Babka Aviation Learning Center are complete, providing much-needed learning and hangar space for an expanding program. And renovations for the proposed John and Alice Butler College of Osteopathic Medicine (applicant, seeking accreditation) are on track for completion by the end of this year.

But the Momentum Campaign is about much more than buildings. It is about investing in students, strengthening academic programs, supporting faculty, and creating opportunities that will shape the future of UD for generations to come. To date, donors have made gifts across all five pillars of the campaign - Expand Student Scholarships and Financial Aid, Build the Future of Learning, Enhance Academic Programs and Faculty Excellence, Invest in Innovation and Technology, and Support the Annual Fund and Institutional Priorities.

"Over the past year, we've seen donor support make an impact in so many areas across the University of Dubuque. That's really what our five campaign pillars are about. They aren't separate initiatives. They work together to strengthen the entire student experience and ensure that UD continues to be a place of opportunity, growth, and hope," said Scott Rima (C'01, MBA'21), vice president for advancement at the University.

Those gifts help to bring the vision of UD's future to life by supporting scholarships, brain health and character initiatives, research and living laboratories, and other institutional priorities.

Students like Kenadi Sovey, a junior flight operations major from Osco, Illinois, are already seeing the impact.

"Now with the announcement of the new innovation center, the school of osteopathic medicine, as well as the new flight center and the School of Aviation, I'm really excited to see where this campus goes and I can't wait to be a part of it," Sovey said.

The Momentum Campaign runs until the end of 2028.

"If you want to impact the world, invest in our students because they are coming here to change the world for the better," Frampton said. "This is our moment. Join us."

Every gift matters. Every gift makes a difference. To join the moment, visit www.dbq.edu/momentum.