Georgia Southern Donors Help University Achieve Record Fundraising Year
For the second year in a row, Georgia Southern University set a private fundraising record, according to figures for the past fiscal year.
Total cash, pledges, and in-kind donations to Georgia Southern University were $22,363,915 in fiscal year 22, which ended June 30, 2022. This exceeds the total from the previous year, which was also a record $17.8 million. The previous record was $16.2 million raised in fiscal year 2019, the year the University’s College of Business was named after Greg Parker.
The Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation, in conjunction with the Department of Athletics, has significantly aided the University’s overall total with its own record fundraising numbers for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. The Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation raised a record $10.6 million in new pledges and outright donations.
“This private fundraising record is tremendous validation of what we have accomplished over the past few years and our vision for the future of the University,” said Kyle Marrero, president of Georgia Southern University. “I am extremely grateful to our donors for fueling the transformative power of education in Southeast Georgia.” The average amount donated last year was $2,623, up from the 2021 average of $1,783. The university’s alumni – 2,839 of them – contributed $8.9 million of that total.
Some of the major donations made to the University over the past year include:
- The largest philanthropic gift ever made to Georgia Southern Athletics, when Anthony Tippins and his family pledged to make the primary donation for the indoor training facility, which will be named in honor of this monumental gift. The 100,000 square foot facility will provide a year-round, elite practice and training center for all 17 intercollegiate sports teams and provide a venue for many sports to practice in inclement weather. Anthony Tippins, a native of Claxton, Georgia, is the current president of Coolsys Professional Solutions.
- A $1 million gift to the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing to develop the Advanced Processing Research Network (APRN) of Crider, Inc. of Stillmore, Georgia, a global processor of shelf-stable protein products and fully cooked. As the Criders have seen their business grow through automation technology, the need for talented engineers to program and maintain this technology grows with it. They believe Georgia Southern provides a local opportunity to find the talent they need.
Marrero said much of the credit for the past year’s success should go to Athletic Foundation Board Chairman Leonard Bevill and Georgia Southern Foundation Board Chairman Mike Sanders. .
“Mike and Leonard share our bold vision for the future of Georgia Southern and their efforts are instrumental in helping us achieve that vision, exemplified by the results we have achieved this year,” Marrero said. “We simply cannot achieve our goals without tireless volunteers like Mike and Leonard.”
Sanders said Georgia Southern has a good story to tell now and its future is very bright.
“Georgia Southern is already a force in this state. From Atlanta to Savannah, from Macon to Augusta and from Rome to Brunswick, we are making an impact,” Sanders said. “As we hear about the new Hyundai plant coming to Bryan County, the continued emergence of ports, the need for research that impacts the local community, and more, Georgia Southern is in the midst of all of this. These fundraising achievements make us more than ready to meet those demands. »
Bevill said sports fans are feeling a similar boost, with big construction projects underway, a new football coach and an unwavering commitment to success on and off the pitch.
“The Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center and Anthony P. Tippins Indoor Practice Facility projects mean we have nearly $80 million in new facilities that will come online to benefit the entire student population of University and provide a competitive edge to our student-athletes,” said Bevill. “At no time in our history has this been done before. The things that we wished for and talked about are now a reality. We are truly changing the landscape of our university for generations.