Since it began in 1998, $404 million has been raised toward the $500 million goal of the KU First: Invest in Excellence fund-raising campaign, according to the Kansas University Endowment Association.

Endowment association officials announced the fund-raising status recently at a meeting of the KU First Steering Committee, held at the KU Medical Center.

The KU First campaign, which runs through 2004, has provided funds for a variety of projects and programs, including 15 construction projects on three KU campuses, more than 230 new scholarship funds and 30 new professorship funds. An additional 56 scholarships and 13 professorships have been pledged as estate gifts.

KU First also is well on the way to meeting its goal of raising $116 million to directly assist students with new scholarships and awards in East Asian studies, journalism, education, music, business, dance, nursing, medicine, law, German and pharmacy, officials said.

Among the construction projects are the Hoglund Brain Imaging Center at the Medical Center; a new classroom building at the Edwards Campus in Overland Park; the School of Engineering building expansion; the Anderson Family Strength and Conditioning Center for KU student athletes; the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics; and a new home for Kansas Public Radio.

In addition to construction, professorships in areas such as fine arts, education, business, economics and geology have been established.