The first research chair supported by The Opportunity Fund was made possible in Nov. 1995 with a generous donation from Fishery Products International. FPI pledged $525,000 to establish the Industrial Research Chair in Fisheries Conservation. Dr. George Rose holds the chair that was created for five years and is a partnership of the provincial Department of Fisheries and Agriculture, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and Fishery Products International.

With the support of thousands of donors, the campaign has significantly increased the university's scholarship and fellowship endowment. The largest individual gift contributed to The Opportunity Fund was given to help meet this objective. Darryl Fry, a graduate of Memorial's science program, donated $250,000 to endow five new scholarships at the university. The first of the five was awarded during the fall of 1997. The scholarships are named in honour of five individuals: the Clarice Diamond Fry Memorial Scholarship, the Charlotte Penwell Dolimount Memorial Scholarship, the Ralph Vincent Memorial Business Scholarship, the Hugh J. Anderson Chemistry Scholarship, and the J.M.C. Facey Engineering Scholarship.

The Department of Facilities Management broke ground for the new University Centre on Sept. 10, 1997. President May and Glenn Beck, president of the Council of the Students' Union at the time, helped excavate the site, kicking off construction. Campaign volunteers were on hand to direct backhoe operations. The University Centre is expected to be completed during the fall semester of 1999 to coincide with the university's 50th anniversary. At the invitation of Memorial's seventh president, Dr. Axel Meisen, Premier Brian Tobin officially opened the building on March 31, 2000.

The dream of a Field House athletics and recreation complex began to be realized with the final approval by the Board of Regents of a $13 million budget for the project in May 2000. Escalating construction costs and the addition of a walkway link to the Aquarena had caused an increase in the project cost from the original $8 million. “The bids on the project came in higher than our consultants had advised it would cost,” said President Meisen. “We looked at a number of scenarios, including changing the design, but we concluded that the best option was to proceed with the original plan.” He said the additional funding will come from within the highly successful Opportunity Fund, standing at approximately $60 million, and related sources. The facility will be completed by late 2001.