The campaign will support the recent renovations to Dickinson Hall on the Teaneck-Hackensack Campus, the construction of the new Roberta Chiaviello Ferguson and Thomas G. Ferguson Recreation Center and the new academic building on the Florham-Madison Campus, and an endowed fund for the expansion of programs at the George Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies on the Florham-Madison Campus.

"The history of any university is characterized by the Quest for Excellence," said Frank Mertz, president. "This campaign and the projects it supports illustrate the quest for excellence that has long been associated with Fairleigh Dickinson University."

Chairing the campaign is FDU alumnus Thomas Ferguson, BS'65 (R), chairman and CEO of CommonHealth USA, Parsippany, N.J. Ferguson, a former member of the FDU Board of Trustees, is a recipient of The PINNACLE, the highest award the University can bestow on alumni. "Our campaign is primarily being run by volunteers, individuals like myself who believe in FDU and are dedicated to helping it achieve its goals," said Ferguson.

Advance gifts have come from individuals, corporations and foundations, including a lead gift of $1 million from Becton Dickinson and Company. A variety of significant leadership level gifts have been received. Among these are gifts that respond to naming opportunities related to the campaign: in Dickinson Hall - Philips Electronics, to name the planned communications laboratory and Dr. William O'Neill, BS'67, DDS'70 (T-H), to name an executive classroom; in the recreation center - the late Trustee Robert Dircks, to name the natatorium in the Ferguson Center after deceased trustees and Gordon O'Brien, to name the Gordon C. O'Brien Family Free Weights Room. Also, Richard Clarke, to name the endowed Richard M. Clarke Distinguished Entrepreneurial Lecture Series. O'Brien, O'Neill and Clarke are members of FDU's Board of Trustees.

By mid-May, approximately 74 percent of the targeted goal, or approximately $5,903,227 million, had been pledged for the campaign.

"We're extremely pleased with the support shown by the alumni and friends of the University," said Charles Dees, Jr., vice president for institutional advancement and Teaneck-Hackensack Campus executive. "We are confident that the University's renewed spirit of accomplishment, recent success stories and strong relationships within the public and private spheres will enable us to surpass our goal."

As part of the leadership gifts in the campaign, the Florham-Madison recreation center was formally named the Roberta Chiaviello Ferguson and Thomas G. Ferguson Recreation Center at a ceremony in April. The center opened on University Day in October 1995. The 182,000-square-foot complex contains three full-size basketball courts; a suspended jogging track; weight-training, aerobic and dance facilities; a 25-yard swimming pool; and two racquetball courts.

Dickinson Hall was renovated and opened in the fall of 1994. This 170,000-square-foot facility includes Wilson Auditorium, modern executive classrooms, computer and science laboratories, nursing skills classrooms, continuing education facilities, and offices.

The Rothman Institute, founded in 1989, was the first academic program in New Jersey devoted exclusively to entrepreneurship. The institute, selected by Success magazine as one of the best entrepreneurial studies offerings in the country, features graduate, undergraduate and continuing education courses.

The new academic building, to be located on the site of the former recreation facility, is projected to be completed for the fall of 1997. The 37,500-square- foot building will house the academic areas of computer science, mathematics, modern languages and literature, physics and psychology. In addition to the classrooms, psychology laboratories and faculty offices, the facility will include two conference rooms, a student dining hall, two student lounges, a faculty lounge/ dining hall and a terrace.