Chancellor's
Circle highlights importance of unrestricted gifts
to LSUS Foundation
Due
to declining state support, LSUS, like many public
universities and colleges across the country, has
increasingly depended upon private contributions to
sustain and expand its academic success. The LSUS
Foundation and its contributors helps bridge the gap
by fostering important private financial support for
the university.
When
Dr. Vince Marsala became chancellor in 1995, he recognized
the need to significantly increase the funds available
to support scholarships and faculty through the creation
of endowments. Since that time the university has
concentrated on attracting major donors and has experienced
great success.
After
receiving only one chair and three professorships
in the previous 30 years, the university now has a
total of two chairs and eight professorships with
commitments to fund five additional professorships.
With
a strong program in place to attract endowments, Marsala
and the Foundation board realized they needed to strengthen
the membership base of the Foundation through unrestricted
donations.
Unlike
restricted gifts, such as endowed scholarships or
professorships, unrestricted donations provide the
flexibility to support many university initiatives
including recognizing faculty and staff with the Outstanding
Faculty and Staff awards and other initiatives that
cannot be paid for with state funds. Creating a reserve
of unrestricted funds also positions the university
to take advantage of special opportunities.
To
acknowledge the importance of unrestricted funds,
the Foundation established the Chancellor's Circle
as a special membership category. Membership in the
Chancellor's Circle is attained through gifts of $1,000
or more in unrestricted funds to the LSUS Foundation.
LSUS faculty and staff members can become members
of the Chancellor's Circle with a $500 contribution.
The
Chancellor's Circle Campaign, chaired by Bruce and
Melissa Simon, was initiated last fall. The Simons
are longtime supporters of the university and Melissa
is an LSUS graduate. More than 20 community leaders
and LSUS supporters agreed to help with the campaign
and contact individuals and organizations to encourage
membership.
The
response to the campaign in just a short amount of
time has been outstanding. There are currently 56
Chancellor's Circle members, of which 11 are current
or former LSUS faculty and staff members. Contributions
to the Foundation totaled more than $50,000 by the
end of February.
"Bruce
and Melissa have done an outstanding job providing
leadership for the Chancellor's Circle Campaign,"
Marsala said. "I appreciate the hard work they
and the other members of the Foundation have given
to encourage financial support for our university.
I am very pleased at the response from our community
in contributing these funds and am especially proud
of faculty and staff members who have pledged their
financial support to our school."
The
campaign will continue through the summer. For information
about supporting the university by joining the Chancellor's
Circle, contact the LSUS Development Office at 318-797-5257.
