The Future Starts Now


A gray background with stylized text over it that says 2036 The Future Starts Now

Dear Emory Community,

If you’ve been on campus this week, there’s no doubt you’ve noticed the domes, stages, and lights assembled on the Quad. Despite the rumors, we are not reshooting a scene from Dune! Our beautiful Quad is the backdrop for immersive events and experiences that will kick off Emory’s 2O36 campaign.

The year 2036 is Emory’s bicentennial—our 200th anniversary. That sounds far off, but it’s only 15 years away. What challenges will the world be facing then? What do our students need now and in the future to flourish? What groundbreaking research will provide the most benefit to humanity? How can our faculty and staff play an even greater role in serving society?

2O36 is about answering these questions and building partnerships with great purpose and bold ambition to invest like never before in the Emory students, faculty, and staff who will shape our destiny. It’s also about broadcasting the Emory story to the world with pride. 

Too often, I have heard Emory referred to as a hidden gem, but there is nothing hidden about our impact. In my short time here, I’ve been amazed by the depth of talent and creativity at Emory. 

Emory has a legacy of service and selflessness—a dedication to solving society’s biggest problems—that sets us apart. Just look at everything we have contributed during the pandemic. The world has been in crisis and, throughout, it has turned to Emory faculty, researchers, students, and staff for answers and leadership. And there’s so much more we can accomplish. 

2O36 will ask our many supporters to invest boldly in the future of Emory while renewing our focus on the fundamentals of a great research university.

The campaign includes priorities across Emory, covering all nine of our schools and colleges, multiple centers and institutes, and Emory Healthcare. 2O36 will place special emphasis on three core areas for the entire university: 

  • Student Flourishing: Seeing students realize their potential, preparing them for a lifetime of accomplishment beyond graduation, providing an inclusive environment, valuing each student, and enabling them to excel in academics and all aspects of their lives.
  • Faculty Eminence: Recruiting and retaining a diverse, top-tier faculty; investing in our faculty’s big ideas and scholarship; and creating a campus where all faculty have the resources and infrastructure to thrive in their research, teaching, and service.
  • Research Excellence: Launching the next era of Emory excellence in research and discovery to answer the most pressing questions and address the crucial needs of the worldwide communities Emory serves.

To celebrate the start of the campaign, I invite you to attend a special gathering on the Quad from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Friday. Deans, faculty, students, and staff from across the university will discuss their experiences and visions for Emory’s future—ambitious initiatives that will come to life through the engagement and generosity of the entire Emory community. I encourage you to stop by to learn about the campaign and understand what you can do to get involved in writing the next chapter in our history.

To learn more about 2O36, please visit our website

Thank you for all that you do for Emory. This campaign is about you—supporting your talents and magnifying your accomplishments. I can’t wait to see all that we achieve together.

The future starts now!

Sincerely, 

Gregory L. Fenves
President