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As part of the university’s strategic plan, the 360 Initiative seeks to raise the money by this time next year. To date, donors have already pledged $21 million.

UA President Robert C. Robbins said the campaign will allow the university to enhance student services such as tutoring, mental health resources and career services, as well as provide scholarships to students with financial need.

“We are doubling down on our commitment to student success,� Robbins said. “The university is invested in making college accessible and affordable to all students no matter where they come from.�

Recently, the university also announced the creation of the Pell Pledge Grant, which will cover the cost of tuition for many low-income students. Beginning in fall 2020, all in-state freshmen enrolled at the UA’s main campus, who also qualify for a federal Pell grant, will have the cost of their base tuition covered for four years.

But tuition is not the only financial burden that low-income students face. The university’s Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid estimates that tuition makes up 42% of the cost of attendance for incoming in-state undergraduates who live on campus, but there are many other costs that aren’t covered.

“Tuition is just part of the puzzle,� Robbins said. “Some of these students live with housing insecurity and food insecurity, let alone being able to afford books and supplies or study away from campus programs. We want to be able to attract the best and brightest students and offer admission packages that make the UofA their top choice, and ensure that they have predictable aid that follows them through their entire time at the U of A, even if they change majors.�

For Sydney Hess, a senior and UA’s student body president, money should never be an obstacle in achieving an education. As a first-generation college student herself, Hess said she understood the financial burden that many students face in attending college, which is why she thinks the 360 Initiative is vitally important.

“As a first-generation college student, I have gotten through most of my college career in spite of my circumstances and it is scholarship donors that have made this possible,� she said. “I feel incredibly lucky to be where I am today, yet there are so many more students who were not provided with resources that I was.�

Of the $21 million that has been donated, the university received two major commitments from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation for $762,000 and Patricia and Bruce Bartlett for $10 million. The donation from the Neilsen foundation will go toward scholarships for students who have been affected by a spinal cord injury.

In an effort to also enhance student resources, $8 million of the Bartlett’s donation will go to the UA’s Strategic Alternative Learning Techniques Center, an academic support program that provides services to students with learning and attention challenges.

“I have always believed that if a university admits a student, there is a responsibility there to embrace them, engage them and prepare them for the future and most importantly, graduate them,� Patricia Bartlett said at the 360 Initiative launch event.

The SALT Center will be just one of many student resources with space in the UA’s new Student Success District, a project scheduled for completion in 2021 that will create a centralized hub for academic, wellness and retention services on campus.