Cap Campaign Final Results
Total Raised: $5,551,518
Participation: Alumni, 47%; Undergrads, 54%; Class of 2011, 60%
You made it happen!
Thank you to all of you who donated to the Cap Campaign. The “new” Cap is a huge success. The campaign has brought generations of Cap members and friends together – and back to Cap – and the club is stronger in countless ways. Over 500 Cap members were back at the club for Reunions.
A special thanks to Dennis Keller ’63, Katie Hall ’80, and Bill Brewster ’53 who provided the “HomeStretch Challenge” that raised our participating from 40% to 47% in just the last 3 months of the campaign.
There have been so many moments to be thankful for in this great undertaking. We launched the campaign during one of the most challenging times in our economic history, so we were taking a rise. Fortunately, we were able to get the lowest possible bids on the project, making the project more affordable.
We discovered, after setting the goal, that we had to replace the entire heating system for the club. After evaluation the alternatives, we decided to convert the entire club to geothermal heating and cooling. We used Cap’s reserves to fund this, but we have a plan to rebuild that, and we’ve made an investment so Cap will be a more sustainable building for the long term.
At the outset of the campaign, we received encouraging words of support from President Tilghman on our launch of the campaign. Over the past 3+ years, Cap has worked more closely than ever with the University. As a result of the report from the Task Force on the Eating Clubs, the University has a new appreciation for the role of the clubs in Princeton live, and the clubs are working more cooperatively with the University to implement policies that support a positive social environment for all students.
If you walk down Prospect Street today, you see a renaissance happening all along the Street. Ivy completed a major expansion; Cap followed shortly after. Tiger Inn is currently under construction, as is the former Cannon Club which will be reopening as DEC (Dial-Elm-Cannon).
We owe a very special thanks to Dennis Normile, our club Steward for over 30 years, who shepherded the project from ground zero and made sure the plans met the needs of the students, endured the extended disruption and construction, and was incredibly creative in making the club activities as fun, if not even more fun, than ever. He even kept his sense of humor!
Thank you also to our undergraduate members, especially our club officers, who were enthusiastic and good sports through the entire project – and who supported the campaign with 54% participation. That says it all.
We’re still working on the final touches over the summer – a renovation of the sunporch, new furnishings, our commemorations for the campaign, and the installation of the Connect-to-Cap Walkway.
We hope you’ll plan a trip to Cap this fall to see the beautiful results. Our Grand Celebration will be Saturday, November 12th, the weekend of the Princeton-Yale football game.
