鶹ƵAPK ended 2023 with massive success in its fundraising efforts, concluding the Take the Lead campaign on December 31, 2023 by exceeding the fundraising goal of $110 million by 10%, with an astounding total of 122.3 million in gifts and commitments.
Following this outpouring of generosity and goodwill, 鶹ƵAPK students returning for the Fall 2024 semester later this month will notice improvements across several areas of campus life.
One of the pillars of the Take the Lead campaign, financial aid and scholarships, is already directly impacting students as 140 new annual and endowed scholarships are being rolled out to support the academic pursuits of 鶹ƵAPK’s diverse student population (48% of which are first-generation students). This influx helps sustain the 鶹ƵAPK Promise, a program that covers 100% of tuition costs for up to four years for eligible entering first-year students in fall of 2024.
With financial support cared for, students are enabled to put greater focus on their academics, which have been bolstered by tremendous fundraising efforts that secured 121 grants totaling $21.4 million.
Many of the academic initiatives supported and extended by these grants are already active, including a $2.17 million Strengthening Institutions grant, designed to help higher education institutions strengthen fiscal stability and expand their capacity to serve low-income students.
鶹ƵAPK has put these funds to use by introducing high-impact learning and experiences, embedding tutors and peer mentors, establishing first year learning communities, enhancing advising services, and fueling financial aid optimization efforts to focus on affordability. And with funding continuing through 2028, countless exciting initiatives have yet to be introduced.
When 鶹ƵAPK launched Pipers to Professionals in 2023 – an initiative to ensure no student internships go unpaid – with a $1 million federal appropriation, donors quickly recognized the value of this program and moved to secure its future by providing more than $1 million in gifts for future funding.
Over the past five years, 鶹ƵAPK students completed an average of 387 internships annually and only 37% were paid internships. Now, by more than matching the federal dollars, donors have provided an additional funding stream to support living wage stipends that will enable student-interns to free themselves from part-time jobs and other commitments so they can focus their time and effort on their academic responsibilities and learning first and foremost.
The Take the Lead campaign also paved the way for vital improvements to 鶹ƵAPK athletic facilities that serve one of the largest populations of student-athletes in 鶹ƵAPK history and demonstrates 鶹ƵAPK’s commitment to athletic excellence to potential recruits.
Significant donor commitments were secured to finalize the $1 million , a grassroots effort that started over a decade ago with over 170 donors contributing. On May 10, a crowd of 90 alumni, family, friends and staff gathered to dedicate the track to Kent Stahly, the 鶹ƵAPK Hall of Famer who founded 鶹ƵAPK’s cross country program in 1966 and the indoor track and field program in 1967.
The renovations and formalizing of Stahley's legacy further designate 鶹ƵAPK’s place in Minnesota track and field history. As host of the annual and the from 2007-2019, 鶹ƵAPK’s track is recognized as one of the historic collegiate facilities in the state.
“No name has been bigger in the legacy of 鶹ƵAPK Track & Field than the coach who led 鶹ƵAPK to nine-straight and two second-place finishes at the ,” said Devin Monson '12, head and coach. “It is an honor to name our track the Kent Stahly Track. The yearly gifts/donations we receive from the Stahly & Schmaedeke/Hipp Fund will continue to help us grow the program and continue that legacy.”
The Take the Lead campaign was instrumental in raising $500,000 to renovate and revitalize the Holt Courts at the Jeff Green & Family Tennis Center, named after 鶹ƵAPK Hall of Famer Darrel Holt '36.
“As a legacy alumni at 鶹ƵAPK, I am overjoyed about the restoration of our tennis facility,” said Spencer Jones '97, head and coach. “Our generous donors have created a practice and play space for our student-athletes, and given us the ability to host events that will raise our profile in the tennis community. This is an incredible investment in our student-athletes and infrastructure.”
Donors also played a crucial role in establishing the Winston Folkers Alumni Room in last fall, giving 鶹ƵAPK teams a place to hold meetings for film sessions, leadership development and team building. The rooms are dedicated to Winston Folkers '57, a former 鶹ƵAPK basketball player and Lifetime Trustee.
“The addition of the Winston Folkers Team Rooms and Alumni Room has had a profound impact on our current student-athletes as well as our ability to attract future Pipers to 鶹ƵAPK,” said Jim Hayes '94, head coach. “For our current student-athletes, it has made Hutton Arena a top notch facility and a place they enjoy coming to on a daily basis. Prospective recruits now see Hutton Arena as a historic venue with an incredible atmosphere as well as modern conveniences for studying or watching film.
Looking Ahead
In addition to these active initiatives and accomplishments, the Take the Lead campaign has also strengthened 鶹ƵAPK’s financial foundation by significantly expanding the university’s endowment, as well as fortifying the board-designated unrestricted endowment.
The legacy of the Take the Lead campaign will not only be marked by the foundational changes and improvements made using outright donor gifts and pledges – it will also be carried forth and built upon in the coming decades by the campaign’s future pledges and , which account for 30% of the campaign total. As part of the campaign, 96 members were documented for the , laying the foundation for 鶹ƵAPK’s continued financial security for decades to come.
