VandyUnited - $300 million!

[dcdore]

What we're up against:

UA's Rising Tide Capital Campaign has set a state record by surpassing $1.22 billion.

[dunc77]

That's apples to oranges. You're comparing the amount of the Vanderbilt Athletic campaign to the amount Alabama is raising for the entire university. Apples to apples would be $300 million vs. the portion of that $1.2 billion earmarked for athletics. Even if you add Alabama's entire expected goal of $1.3 billion to their endowment (will not be the case), Vanderbilt's endowment is currently higher, and that's before any campaign Vanderbilt is currently running. Also, an endowment at a state school is a vastly different operation than at a private school, as are the budget and the accounting system. Direct comparisons are difficult, at best. When you see the "profit statements" of athletic departments at state schools, take them with a large container of salt. State legislatures kick in money that doesn't show up in their "accounting."

For further comparison, Vanderbilt's last capital campaign ended in 2011 and raised $1.94 billion.