The Campaign for a Bradley Renaissance received a huge boost in reaching its $150 million goal last week when Dale Burklund donated $1 million.
His generous donation lifted the grand total to $130.8 million, which is the most money ever raised in a Bradley fundraising campaign.
The previous Bradley fundraising record was reached in 1998 as a result of the university’s Centennial Campaign – its total was $127 million.
To thank Burklund for hisgenerosity, the Athletics Hall of Fame in the Athletic Performance Center will be named in honor of the Burklund family.
The Burklund Family Hall of Fame will trace Bradley athletic’s rich history.
It will not only include the names and photos of the Hall of Fame members but also interactive kiosks to learn more about the men and women who have been a part of the Bradley Braves tradition.
The hall will also house images of the school’s All-Americans, professionals, Olympians, national statistical leaders and other all-stars, both past and present.
“I’m proud to support Bradley and its legendary athletic tradition,” Burklund said in a press release. “It is an honor to be associated with an institution that does such an outstanding job educating students and student-athletes.”
Dale and his late wife, Shirley, were designated “Honorary Alumni” of Bradley last February.
As for the campaign, it is continuing to raise funds in order to continue improvements on Bradley’s campus, along with scholarship and faculty assistance. Some of the improvements the student body, faculty and alumni have to look forward to, besides the 4,500-seat Athletic Performance Center, are The Hayden-Clark Alumni Center, the renovation of Westlake Hall, The Puterbaugh Men’s Basketball Practice Facility, new high-tech classrooms and laboratories for a new Center for Engineering and Business Convergence.
