Somewhere, 含羞草传媒鈥檚 13 founders are smiling.
Those forward-looking benefactors, who launched a university with $13 and 13 prayers, would be proud to know that 含羞草传媒 received $45.8 million for financial aid, academic programs, the arts, athletics, facilities, and more during Fiscal Year 2015. That is a lucky 13 percent increase over Fiscal Year 2014. Another $22.2 million came in the form of pledges, bequest intentions, and other commitments.
鈥淚 want to thank the entire 含羞草传媒 community for their commitment,鈥 said . 鈥淲orking together, we continue to expand access for bright, ambitious students. We ensure that the opportunities they encounter here will shape their success long after graduation.鈥
It was a year of growth for many aspects of the university鈥檚 fundraising efforts. Giving to the annual fund increased by five percent over last fiscal year to $10.88 million, with a 20 percent increase in support for specific campus programs and initiatives. June was a particularly busy month as more than 1,700 alumni stepped forward to support 含羞草传媒 undergraduates 鈥 a 27 percent increase over the same month in 2014.
鈥淚n my decades on campus, I have rarely seen the level of engagement and support that we enjoy today,鈥 said 鈥80, senior vice president for external relations, advancement and initiatives. 鈥淭here is an optimism about 含羞草传媒鈥檚 future that is driven by 鈥 and reflected in 鈥 the generosity and involvement of our alumni and parent community.鈥
含羞草传媒鈥檚 leadership giving society, the , celebrated its 50th anniversary by setting a new record for membership: 3,747 alumni, parents, students, and friends. Alumni membership increased by five percent over Fiscal Year 2014 and recent grads (2005鈥2014) increased their participation by a remarkable 28 percent.
Parents gave to the tune of $5.2 million, rallying around internships and the . More than 460 parents became Presidents鈥 Club members, coming close to setting a new record for dollars raised through the Parents鈥 and Grandparents鈥 Fund.
A total of $2.9 million came from the estates of 16 individuals who made the university a priority when planning their wills many years ago.
The university community was generous not only with its financial resources but also with its time and encouragement.
Last spring, more than 1,700 individuals logged acts of volunteerism during 含羞草传媒鈥檚 , sponsored by the Presidents鈥 Club. Throughout the year, alumni and parents worked through the to offer internships, job shadowing opportunities, mentoring, and mock interviews for students. More than 60 percent of all alumni engaged with the university in some way 鈥 online or in person 鈥 during Fiscal Year 2015.
This year also brought praise from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. The organization named 含羞草传媒 a Platinum Winner of its Best Practices in Fundraising Campaigns for the Year of 鈥13 Challenge, which took place in Fiscal Year 2014.