With an eye towards the future, Rowan University kick-started the public phase of “Forging Forward: A Campaign for Rowan University.”

On Friday, Sept. 19, the Chamberlain Student Center Expansion hosted the launch event for “Forging Forward”, inviting students, faculty, and all other members of the Rowan community to celebrate the occasion.

“Forging Forward” is a multi-phase fundraising campaign, created with the intention of raising $240 million for the university. The first phase consisted specifically of private funding, raising around $210 million since 2021. Some of the supporters include Ric and Jean Edelman, who gifted $25 million, Gerald B. Shreiber, the founder of J&J Snack Foods, who gave $30 million in exchange for the namesake of Rowan’s recently opened veterinary school, and Virtua Health, which, back in 2022, donated $85 million. 

The current president of Rowan’s Student Government Association (SGA), Hope Campbell, first took the stage and touched upon Rowan’s growth as well as their student body.

“Today isn’t any ordinary day. It is a day of growth, change, and excellence. Today, we celebrate the students who excel every day in the classroom and are taking advantage of the Rowan experience,” said Campbell. “I can say that Rowan University has changed significantly since the start of my Rowan journey. Rowan has proven to be a place of opportunity, innovation, and community.”

Rowan’s President, Dr. Ali A. Houshmand, took to the podium soon after.

“We are one of the fastest growing universities in the nation and the number one fastest growing university in the Northeast of the United States, and we did that all together as a community,” said Dr. Houshmand. “This wasn’t Ali Houshmand or Tony Lowman; it was all of us. This campaign is for two groups of people, the students and our staff.”

Once Dr. Houshmand was finished with his speech, the staff released mounds of balloons, which fell onto the guests, ramping up the celebration.

“We would not deny any amount of expenditure, no matter what, to keep everybody here safe. Whether it’s in terms of hiring police officers…having technology here, or having part-time security people here,” said Dr. Houshmand.

The campaign is set to focus on boosting investment in three key areas: the enhancement of the experience and success of students, the catalyzation and expansion of research and innovation, and building what the campaign has described to be “the University of the Future”.

The launch event was a group collaboration, largely put together by John J. Zabinski, the Vice President for University Advancement, along with his team over the course of the past 15 months.

“It was all of us, it was the community, the advancement group, the people in the foundation. They arrange this kind of thing, they plan and campaign many years in advance,” said Houshmand.

Within the vastly decorated student center expansion, guests were met with a wide variety of food provided by Gourmet Dining, music, a photo booth, a portrait artist, and a “philanthropy trail”.

“I love it. My friend Vinnie said that it was happening, and me and one of my roommates came down. There’s definitely a lot of people here,” said Victoria Devirgillis, a 19-year-old sophomore marketing major.

The event’s festivities lasted until 12:30 p.m., though the “Forging Forward” campaign still has a while to go, currently aiming to hit its $240 million goal by June 2026.

“We have done great stuff so far, what I keep saying is ‘you ain’t seen nothing yet,’” said Dr. Houshmand.