Cal Poly’s 8-year funding campaign raises more than $832 million, most in CSU history
After eight years of fundraising, Cal Poly’s successful “The Power of Doing: The Campaign for Learn by Doing” campaign ended Tuesday, blasting by its goal to finish at more than three-quarters of a billion dollars.
Nearly 75,000 alumni, parents and community members contributed more than $832 million to the campaign, a new fundraising record for a California State University school.
The school originally set a target of $500 million in 2012, and then readjusted to a goal of $700 million by 2021. Then, that goal was shattered, so Cal Poly decided to end the campaign.
Just this past fiscal year, which ended on June 30, the school raised nearly $157 million from donors, according to a news release.
“Even in uncertain times, our donors chose to support Cal Poly students and our Learn by Doing ethos,” wrote Matt Lazier, the university’s director of media relations, in an emailed statement.
The money will be used in a variety of ways. Here are a few, according to a news release:
Offer more scholarship opportunities.
Outfit instructional and lab spaces with state-of-the-art equipment and improve general facilities.
Provide more student/faculty stipends for research and Learn by Doing projects.
Fund initiatives aimed to increase diversity, inclusion and student well-being.
Enable student-athletes to practice and compete at a higher level in facilities designed to meet their needs.
Over the course of the campaign, Cal Poly raised $145 million in scholarship funds. These scholarships have “helped to lower the barrier of entry from many academically qualified lower-income and first-generation students,” Lazier said.
Third-year biochemistry student Byungcheol So was the recipient of a Dignity Health Cal Poly Scholarship and Frost Scholarship.
“The scholarship support I received provided me with exceptional and unique opportunities in science and research,” So said in the news release.
Using the campaign funds, Cal Poly has been able to complete three major projects, including the $20 million Oppenheimer Family Equine Center, the $4.8 million Doerr Family Field — the primary practice facility for Mustang football — and the $3 million Mustang Beach Volleyball Complex.
Ongoing projects funded by the campaign include the Dignity Health Baseball Clubhouse, the Justin and J. Lohr Center for Wine and Viticulture, the Kennedy Library renovation and the Vista Grande Dining Facility.
“With the support of our donors, we’re able to offer even more of the unique Learn by Doing opportunities that Cal Poly is known for and that our students and alumni credit as integral to their success,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong said in the news release. “It is hard to overstate the impact this will have on the future of Cal Poly and our students.”
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 4:12 PM.
