Ohio State's new fundraiser eyes $2.5B campaign

Almost a year later, Gee's hand-picked fundraiser is preparing for the university's biggest-ever fund drive, to the tune of $2.5 billion.

The challenges are huge: a sluggish economy, a massive institution that has yet to define what it's raising money for, and a university record of failing to pitch a compelling story of itself.

Peter Weiler (WEYE'-ler), snapped up by Gee from a similar job at Penn State, said the campaign will nevertheless proceed.

"Waiting is not an option," Weiler told The Associated Press. "This university has been on the precipice of this campaign far too long."

Weiler, whose annual salary is $404,808, said Ohio State is guilty of not selling itself as strongly as it should, especially given the university's size and resources.

Ohio State has a statewide enrollment of about 59,000. It has 28,200 employees, including 3,000 faculty, a $3.7 billion budget and a $1.4 billion payroll.

"We haven't bragged about ourselves, quite honestly. It's been a little bit of the Midwestern, 'Aw shucks,'" Weiler said.

"This is an incredible institution doing remarkable things, and I don't think we've told that story," he said.

The last major fundraising campaign at Ohio State, "Affirm Thy Friendship," started under Gee's first tenure as president in the 1990s and raised $1.23 billion.