1. Please describe your Athletic Department's current campaign (name of campaign, planned construction, etc):

Ohio University is currently in an 8-year, $450 million capital campaign branded "The Promise Lives." The campaign began in July 2007 and will run until June of 2015. The Intercollegiate Athletics fundraising goal during this timeframe is $22 million over the 8-year period.

Priorities for Athletics include renovations to the Men's Basketball locker room and player lounge, the Football locker room and player lounge, the Convocation Center (which is home to MBB, WBB, wrestling and women's volleyball) and the athletic training area. In addition to these priorities an emphasis has been placed on increased annual giving as well as a planned giving society, the first of its kind for Ohio Athletics.

However the centerpiece to the entire campaign is a new state-of-the-art Campus Multi-Purpose Center and Training Facility which will benefit football as well as eight other outdoor sports during inclement weather. This $11 million facility will serve as a symbol of a transformational era in Ohio Athletics. An $8 million lead gift was secured in late 2010 and the groundbreaking will likely happen in early Spring of 2012.

2. How will this campaign impact your student-athletes or sports programs and what additional benefit can be seen from the campaign's completion?

As mentioned, the centerpiece of "The Promise Lives" campaign will be a 74,000 square foot Campus Multi-Purpose Center and Training Facility. The lack of such a facility has been a hindrance to our coaches and student athletes from both a recruiting and winter training standpoint. Once completed, this facility will allow year-round access to student athletes and the general student body alike.

Currently there is no place on the Athens campus to train during the inclement weather months of December-March in Ohio. This puts us at a disadvantage when practicing for a bowl game, or preparing for opening day in a sport such as baseball/softball, or off season training in a sport such as soccer or field hockey. This facility will provide a solution to that problem and put us on par with our peers from a recruiting standpoint.

In addition to Athletics the entire Ohio University community will enjoy the benefits of this facility. While Athletics is responsible for 100% of the fundraising goal the facility will be made available to the general student/faculty population on a daily basis. Club sports, campus intramurals and recreation, Health and Science classes, campus ROTC, the Marching 110, community youth sports, etc. will all have access and be able to enjoy the many benefits of such a facility. There is no structure like this within 50 miles in any direction in Southeast Ohio so it truly will be a transformational facility.

OU Locker Room renderings

3. What innovative ways have you tried to attract donors (facility naming rights, priority seating, etc)

This is really the first comprehensive capital campaign of its kind for Ohio Athletics. In the past the focus has been on one project at a time and a fundraising effort was made every year or couple of years. For the first time we are really offering an array of naming opportunities which has some donors excited. We also rolled out courtside seating for men's basketball this season and participation in the campaign will allow access to these seats at certain levels so that has been positive.

We are hoping that the access of the Multi-Purpose Facility to so many other campus entities will attract the non-traditional athletics donors and those who realize the benefit to their area of interest (Marching 110 alums, former ROTC members, etc.). A naming wall specific to former student athletes that participate is something that we have kicked around as well due to the desire to garner participation from this group of alums.

OU Film Room

4. Can you provide one unique story regarding donor interaction for this campaign?

The Athletic Director and I were given a lead for a donor who had little to no contact from the university in the past few decades. We followed up on the lead and through our research this donor was head of one of the largest businesses of its kind in the Midwest. He had been reluctant to see people from the university in the past and while it took several efforts on our part we finally were able to plan a trip to travel and see this donor.

We learned that he had played football on one of the most successful teams in school history from the late 60's and he knew a lot of people who were connected to the program. He would throw out names of teammates and we were able to tell him what those individuals were doing in their careers, where they lived, how they were involved, etc. We could see the sparkle in his eye as the names led to memories which led to stories which led to reminiscing. It was immediately our goal to get him to come to campus even though it had been nearly 30 years since he had been back.

In the next few weeks we tried to plan this trip and he was always too busy, or the family had obligations, or he was out of town, etc. So we decided to charter a private jet to pick him up and bring him to campus. This is something that we don't regularly do but decided it would be worth the investment. It was one of the best decisions we have ever made. From the minute he arrived on campus the stories began flowing. As we walked him through campus and the athletic facilities he ran into teammates, coaches, trainers, etc. from his era that are still in the area or connected to the program. He brought his wife and son on the trip and they repeatedly told us how much the trip meant to him and how he liked that they were able to see the individuals and campus landmarks that he had talked so fondly about. At the end of the day he had reconnected with so many people and memories and even saw his team picture on display in our Hall of Fame area. In one day we had caught up from three decades of disconnect and are currently in discussions about a naming opportunity in our current campaign. Regardless of a gift these are the moments that truly make us appreciate our job and what it's all about.

Submitted by:

Jim F. Harris was appointed as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development at Ohio University in October 2009. In his role, Harris oversees the entire Athletics Development operation which includes the Ohio Bobcat Club, major gifts, high end annual-giving, stewardship, donor and community relations, planned giving society and the Varsity Ohio Letterwinner's program. He also serves on the senior leadership team for the Department of Athletics.

Prior to joining Ohio Athletics, Harris served as the Associate Director of Athletic Development for the IU Varsity Club at Indiana University. During his five years on staff, Harris oversaw all aspects of Annual Giving and implemented the first ever comprehensive premium and licensed seating program for men's basketball. He helped the IU Varsity Club set new fundraising records in each year of his tenure and saw annual giving rise over 37% during his tenure. This represented the largest three-year growth in the 54 year history of the IU Varsity Club. He played an instrumental role during the "For the Glory of Old IU" athletics campaign, raising money for a new North End-Zone Facility and Men's and Women's Basketball Practice Facility. Originally from Jasper, IN, Harris earned a Bachelor's Degree in Sports Administration, with an emphasis in Business, from Indiana University in 2002. Harris went on to earn two Masters Degrees in Business Administration (2003) and Sports Administration (2004) from Ohio University.