Bethel University has raised $109.3 million through its Taking the Next Step comprehensive resource campaign, which ended on May 31, surpassing its $105 million goal.

The fundraising initiative—the largest in Bethel’s history—secured gifts or pledges for major new facilities, including a student commons building on the Arden Hills campus and an expansion of Bethel Seminary in San Diego. The commons, a 110,000-square-foot facility that will create a “family room” for the Bethel community and is scheduled to be completed in spring 2009, will be named for retiring Bethel University President George K. Brushaber in recognition of his significant leadership.

During the campaign, donors provided millions for the endowment to fund scholarships and other future needs; set records three consecutive years in giving toward annual operating costs (the Annual Fund); attracted major program development gifts in chemistry, journalism, business, global missions, and marriage and family therapy; and garnered commitments nearing $25 million in planned deferred gifts such as wills and trusts.

“A major campaign objective was to transform stewardship to match the emergence of Bethel into a national leader in Christian higher education,” says Brushaber, who has led Bethel in its growth from 2,590 students in 1982 to more than 6,000 students in 2007. “We had 32 commitments of $1 million or more, including two for $5 million. This is compared to a campaign that ended in the early ’90s in which a single $1 million gift was the capstone.”

In total, there were more than 225 donors who made commitments of at least $50,000, including many younger alumni, fulfilling the president’s vision for “ownership of Bethel’s future” by a new generation of leaders.

“Donors stepped forward in unimaginable ways,” says Brushaber, who is completing his tenure at Bethel at the end of June. In addition to the remarkable growth in the student body, Brushaber has also overseen 19 new buildings or major additions erected during his tenure. “This campaign shows that a broader universe of Bethel donors are committed to what is happening here.”