Alumni Success
Â鶹ÊÓƵ launched the public phase of its $350 million Forever Brighter comprehensive fundraising campaign in October 2021, and during the first year of the public campaign, a record-breaking $77.6 million was raised. This philanthropic feat was made possible with the support of 10,687 donors, 3,753 of whom made a gift to Â鶹ÊÓƵ for the first time.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ alumni family will grow by more than 1,200 new graduates as the university holds its summer commencement ceremonies. The accomplishments of the Summer Class of 2022 will be recognized with in-person, outdoor commencement ceremonies and a virtual commencement ceremony on Aug. 20.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement launched the university’s most ambitious fundraising campaign, called Forever Brighter, last October, creating communications and fundraising materials that share the remarkable impact of alumni engagement and donor philanthropy on the university. The division has earned 19 marketing and communications awards from multiple competitions.
George L. Jenkins, a 1963 graduate of Â鶹ÊÓƵ, and his wife, Gina, of Scottsdale, Arizona, have pledged $1 million to create the Gina and George Jenkins Student-Athlete Scholarship Fund that will support student-athletes in any varsity athletics program or team sponsored by Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ alumnus Earl K. Miller, Ph.D., and his wife, Marlene M. Wicherski, have pledged $2 million to support research programs and students in Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Brain Health Research Institute. The Brain Health Research Institute is a recently established, cross-disciplinary institute that focuses on research and education of brain health across the lifespan.
During its regular quarterly meeting held Wednesday, Dec. 15, the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Board of Trustees approved naming resolutions for 17 spaces to be located in the future Crawford Hall based on philanthropic gifts of $100,000 or more. An additional nine named spaces were approved by Â鶹ÊÓƵ President Todd Diacon that were below the required Board approval threshold.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ alumni family grew by more than 2,400 new graduates as the university held its fall commencement. The accomplishments of the Fall Class of 2021 were recognized with in-person commencement ceremonies and a virtual commencement ceremony for all colleges and degrees on Dec. 17-18.
This year, Â鶹ÊÓƵ donors demonstrated the power of philanthropy by giving at unprecedented levels. The 2021 Giving Tuesday campaign shattered the previous records, more than tripling last year’s record of $2.2 million.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s season of giving launched on Nov. 1 with Giving Tuesday, a monthlong celebration of philanthropy. Now halfway through the campaign, the generosity of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ community has already begun to shine.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ, which has gained national recognition for its creative and successful Giving Tuesday campaigns, launched its monthlong celebration of philanthropy on Nov. 1. Giving Tuesday, now in its eighth year at Â鶹ÊÓƵ, has raised nearly $7 million during that time, which illuminates the impact that can be made when Golden Flashes come together.