Lew bit off more than the ku fanbase and boosters could chew.
Look, they had to borrow over $6 million dollars to finish the football complex in the form of a no interest loan (and probably more since they won't tell anyone how much of Kivisto's monetary pledge they got, or didn't get), they borrowed over $30 million dollars for the Fieldhouse renovation. I don't know how Lew thought they were going to find $34 million in private money in one year, when they had to borrow all that money to finish the other projects. In fact every project of significance at ku over the last 20 years has required borrowing money or stealing money from the students in the form of compulsory fees.