By
Mindy Jones
Arizona Daily Wildcat
UA President Peter Likins plans to announce campaign goal amount
To celebrate the kick-off of the UA's largest private fundraising effort ever, many different events have been planed to commenerate the universities accomplishments and its future.
Tomorrow's festivities will open with a formal invitation from University of Arizona President Peter Likins so the campus community can hear the goals of Campaign Arizona, including the desire to strengthen the student community.
Sharon Kha, UA spokeswoman, said the morning convocation is an opportunity for students and faculty to be the first ones to hear the broader goals of the foundation.
"The morning part of the day is supposed to be informational," she said. "The afternoon festivities on the Mall is more of a campus celebration."
All students, staff and faculty are invited to the afternoon event which will be held after the presidential foundation meeting, Kha said.
The president is expected to announce the campaign's official financial goals - which could exceed $500 million - in front of the UA band, cheerleaders, students and faculty at noon.
"The last numbers that were released were in the $500 million range," she said. "I expect that by now, those numbers have increased greatly."
Campaign Arizona will close its day of celebration with a catered black tie gala for UA benefactors.
The evening event is being coordinated in part by Jory Hancock, an artistic director and dance professor who joined the Campaign Arizona project seven months ago.
The evening will be a celebration for substantial benefactors of the University of Arizona and will highlight how their donations will contribute to the excellence of the university as a whole, Hancock said.
"We will be describing the current needs and goals of the school," he said. "The evening is not just about money, it's about introducing the university to the community."
The evening will open in front of the Arizona State Museum with a cocktail reception and a variety of interactive displays portraying current projects and achievements of the university.
The 27 displays, constructed by students and faculty, will include the solar car and an artificial heart, Hancock said.
"The first people that the benefactors will meet are the students," he said. "By the time the gala begins, they will be more acquainted with the university's population."
Department heads and deans recruited 200 students to greet guests and have the opportunity to discuss their disciplines, interests and college careers with the guests.
The students will create a processional near the Old Main fountain to represent their individual colleges to the benefactors, Hancock said.
An additional 250 students will be participating in the theatrical aspect of the evening, which includes the UA performing orchestra, choir, singers, musicians, dancers, and students from the musical theater department.
Tucson-area performers, including Ballet Folklorico Arizona and the Tucson boys and girls choir, are in the program of events.
"We brought in the August West construction company and the White House Staging company to set up the performance area and the lighting booths," Hancock said. "If you look out by the fountain, you will see a lot of equipment that can't be found anywhere else on this campus."
Construction for the Oct. 6 invitation-only affair began on Tuesday with barricades blocking the streets connecting to the west side of Old Main.
Security was provided for the construction site 24 hours a day, Kha said.
"The blockages and guards are there so that no one trips and no one messes up the area," she said.
Kha doesn't expect rain, but the university has taken precautions and will move the gala to the McKale Center if necessary.