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Campaign will enrich Cal State Fullerton for generations to come

March 27, 2023

In what was Cal State Fullerton’s first-ever comprehensive philanthropic campaign, “It Takes a Titan” saw the campus and community come together to raise more than $270 million for the university.

Publicly launched in March 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the effort became a true Titan success story, as the seven-year initiative raised funds far exceeding the campaign’s original $175 million goal. These donations will continue to be applied toward projects that “enhance academic innovation, empower students, transform campus structures and enrich the greater community.”

With nearly 75,000 individual donors, including almost 45,000 alumni donors, a 150% increase in endowment funds and more than $21 million distributed in scholarships, the impact on the students of CSUF is where this endeavor will be felt the most.

“Behind every one of those gifts and all those really impressive numbers is a student who actually was able to go to college, did not have to worry necessarily about the finances … or was able to have a certain level of support structure,” said CSUF Vice President for University Advancement Greg Saks.

An example of that support structure was the $600,000 raised to support basic needs and emergency grants for students who experienced hardships due to pandemic-related shutdowns.

“So many of our students work in the service industry, in the retail industry, and in many other areas that they were out of work just like that,” Saks said. “This is just one example of how our greater Titan community and donor community came together at a really difficult time to support our students.”

For the 60% of Titans who are first-generation college students, CSUF’s “I Am First” program provides a path for mentor relationships, leadership development and career skills through a cohort system. The program experienced more demand than it could satisfy. After receiving a $250,000 gift from Donnie Crevier, “I Am First” will be able to expand its reach.

“This is a program that came to fruition during this campaign, and I think it has developed a pretty awesome ripple effect that will continue even more down the road,” Saks said.

From the campus improvement side, philanthropy efforts have served as a catalyst for many areas of physical change that will continue to upgrade the spaces where students gather and engage on a daily basis.

Renovations, additions and new equipment for the Nicholas and Lee Begovich Center for Gravitational-Wave Physics and Astronomy were made possible by a $10 million planned gift from the couple to advance research opportunities for students in these areas of science.

Greg Saks, vice president for University Advancement, talks about the fundraising campaign to a group of potential donors. (Courtesy of CSUF News Media Services)

Many of the construction projects that happened over the past few years, including new baseball and softball complexes and a new visual arts complex in progress, have included a philanthropic component to outfit the facilities with the latest equipment and accessories. And the Center for Leadership in CSUF’s College of Business and Economics is constructing a building that will be 100% funded by philanthropy.

Saks said that in addition to the dollars, the campaign had an intentional focus on a series of auxiliary goals, including the concept of planned giving and helping people understand the value of including the university in their estate.

“We spent a lot of time and energy making sure that people understood how they could support our students long term … and how to create a legacy at an institution that you care about for all time, while at the same time making sure your family is well cared for, too,” Saks said.

This can be seen in the 160 new planned giving commitments, which was 114% of the original goal of 140 new planned gifts, and the $87 million raised, which was 124% of the campaign’s original goal of $70 million.

“Just about all of that is endowment gifts, so gifts that will last in perpetuity, gifts that will always be able to provide funding to support our students for years and years into the future,” Saks said.

As the third-largest campaign of its kind in CSU history comes to a close, Saks pointed to two rewarding takeaways — that CSUF is an investment-worthy institution and, as the campus thinks about what’s next, philanthropy will be part of that discussion.

“I believe we’ve created a culture of philanthropy on campus,” Saks said. “We’ve created a process and an initiative that really was Titan communitywide. There were staff, faculty, administrators, students, parents and community members that were part of this process and were all doing everything they could to help make sure we were able to be successful.

“People think about the value and the impact that giving can have on being able to achieve the goals of the institution,” Saks said. “It was really inspiring as we came together to make this happen, and it gives great hope for what comes next.”

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Campaign will enrich Cal State Fullerton for generations to come

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