CHAMPAIGN – Illinois set an initial fundraising goal of $30 million for what is now the Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center. A $2.5 million donation for the new facility announced Wednesday by Illinois brings the DIA within striking distance of that target. That gift by real estate investment company CA Ventures brings Illinois' fundraising efforts to $28.175 million.
Urbana native and Illinois alumnus Tom Scott founded CA Ventures in Chicago in 2004. His investment company's international portfolio includes $8 billion in assets throughout the United States, Europe and Latin America. His wife, Julie, is also an Illinois grad and serves on the executive committee of the board for the Gies College of Business Alumni Association.