Oklahoma State University surpasses $1 billion in fundraising campaign

STILLWATER, Okla., April 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Five years after launching a $1 billion fundraising campaign to support students, faculty, programs and facilities, today Oklahoma State University officials announced the goal was surpassed nearly two years ahead of schedule. However, with a number of priority projects still to be funded, OSU President Burns Hargis said Branding Success: The Campaign for Oklahoma State University will continue through its scheduled completion date of Dec. 31, 2014.

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As of April 1, 2013, tremendous support from alumni, corporations, faculty and staff, and other friends of Oklahoma State has pushed the campaign total to $1,000,724,453. More than 85,000 donors have participated in Branding Success.

"We began the campaign not long before the nation's economy collapsed, but the incredible generosity of our supporters kept us moving forward and propelled us to the point we are today," said Hargis. "We are already seeing the impact Branding Success is having in the lives of students and through new and enhanced academic programs."

The seven-year campaign began in December 2007, and the public phase was announced Feb. 26, 2010, when the campaign total exceeded the halfway point. A record year of fundraising from July 1, 2010-June 30, 2011, added nearly $253 million to the overall total.

The $120 million Pickens Legacy Scholarship Match (PLSM) – named for alumnus, philanthropist and businessman T. Boone Pickens – is one of the highlights of the largest comprehensive higher education fundraising campaign in state history. The PLSM program was announced in 2010 with an initial $100 million challenge gift. Pickens increased the amount by $20 million in 2011 when he learned the initiative had generated a record number of qualified gifts.

"The Pickens match was a transformational, record-breaking success, inspiring a new generation of donors to the university," says Ross McKnight, alumnus, businessman and volunteer co-chair of the campaign.  "The matching program created an environment of unprecedented energy and passion in our campaign that hasn't slowed."

The status of the four campaign priorities are as follows:

• Student Support | $515.9 million | $500 million goal
• Faculty Support | $186.4 million | $200 million goal
• Program Support | $108.4 million | $100 million goal
• Facility Support | $190 million | $200 million goal

Examples of how the campaign has impacted the four priority areas include:

Student Support

• 936 new scholarship funds, producing thousands of scholarships (many funds are supporting multiple scholarships).

Faculty Support

• 134 new endowed faculty positions, which strengthen academic programs and helps OSU recruit outstanding faculty.

Program Support

• Additional funding for programs such as the Learning and Student Success Opportunity Center (LASSO). From 2007 to 2012, the center's enrollment grew by 140 percent. Since 2008, the freshmen retention rate at OSU has improved by nearly four percent.

Facility Support

• Following extensive renovations, OSU's new Postal Plaza Gallery will open this fall in the former U.S Post Office building in downtown Stillwater.
• Construction of a new indoor football practice facility and a new tennis center is underway north of Boone Pickens Stadium.

Additional projects to be funded by the end of the campaign include a new building for the Spears School of Business, remodeling the Human Sciences building and completing a new Performing Arts Center on the south side of campus.

For more information about Branding Success: The Campaign for Oklahoma State University, please visit OSUgiving.com. 

About the OSU Foundation
The Oklahoma State University Foundation serves as the private fundraising organization for OSU, as designated by the OSU Regents. Its mission is to unite donor and university passions and priorities to achieve excellence.

About OSU
Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant university that prepares students for success. OSU is America's Brightest Orange.  Through leadership and service, OSU is preparing students for a bright future and building a brighter world for all.  As Oklahoma's only university with a statewide presence, OSU improves the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation, and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research, and outreach. OSU has more than 37,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 25,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and around 120 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 240,000 students to serve the state of Oklahoma, the nation and the world.

Contact: Jim Berscheidt, OSU Foundation
Phone: 405.338.5117 (cell)
Email: [email protected]
Website: OSUgiving.com

SOURCE Oklahoma State University Foundation