Buchanan Alumni House Pride of Place Endowment Campaign

The Buchanan Alumni House was completed in May of 2002 and named for Dr. Robert Buchanan, Class of 1944, originally from Caribou, Maine, now residing California. The Buchanan Alumni House is jointly owned by the Alumni Association and the University of Maine Foundation, built to serve our friends and alumni. It was conceived, planned and created by alumni of this University. It is a “place to call home,” for the University’s over 90,000 living alumni.

As the official “front door to the campus,” the Buchanan Alumni House forms an architectural gateway to the campus. It is a signature building and displays outstanding alumni and their achievements, which provide inspiration to our current and prospective students.

Since it’s opening during Reunion Weekend in 2002, The Buchanan Alumni House has been an exceptional resource for the University of Maine. Nearly 60,000 people have attended functions at Buchanan Alumni House. These figures do not include casual “drop in” visits, which number in the hundreds each year.

The level of use is not surprising, as more than 14,000 individuals, reunion classes, companies and friends contributed to the building campaign. It totaled the largest amount of private support in the history of the University of Maine. The Buchanan Alumni House also serves as the University’s front door to potential students and their guests. In the past three years, a total of 14,727 students and guests have begun and ended campus tours at the Buchanan Alumni House.

Success brings its own challenges, of course. Maintaining Buchanan Alumni House requires significant resources. The constant and high volume of traffic Buchanan Alumni House is experiencing causes wear and tear that, if left unattended, will soon take the shine off this treasured facility. Each July, the Buchanan Alumni House is closed to meetings so that floors can be refurbished and walls and woodwork cleaned and painted.

Buchanan Alumni House needs a significant financial base to fund its long-term endowment and additional operating expenses. The endowment allows the Buchanan Alumni House to provide the kinds of services, exhibits and programming that will fulfill its mission of growing resources and building pride in the University of Maine.

In the fall of 2002 the Pride of Place Endowment Campaign was commenced to raise $4 million. Thanks to alumni and friends, we have reached that goal. However, nearly $2 million of the amount raised is through deferred gifts, which means it will be many years before the $4 million in cash is actually in the endowment. Thus, there is still a compelling need to raise current operating dollars to assure that the Buchanan Alumni House continues to be a Place of Pride.

By working together to build a substantial endowment we can carry on the commitment to excellence on this campus. If you would like to contribute to the Pride of Place Endowment, you can do so by contacting the University of Maine Foundation at 1-800-982-8503. If you would like to give a gift on-line, please visit the Foundation’s secure website.

If you should have any other questions about the Buchanan Alumni House Endowment, please contact us.

Thank you for your support.