Image of Aerial view of Wichita State and text Founders' Day of Giving Logo .

Wichita State’s first annual Founders’ Day of Giving saw more than 600 people come together to support what they love at WSU, bringing together our campus, community and all of Shocker Nation.

More than $186,000 was given to support 106 different programs across campus, from athletic teams to student support offices. Several donors supported programs through match and challenge gifts, making every dollar go further and encouraging many first-time donors to give, and with mailed checks still coming in, the total number is expected to go up.

Thank you to the 120 ambassadors across campus who helped spread the word, and to all who participated to help invest in the future of Wichita State.

Each fiscal year, the WSU Foundation evaluates its fundraising priorities and establishes goals for the year ahead. The priorities for the next year will continue to be focused on providing need-based aid for students and raising the remaining funds needed for the Shocker Success Center.

As the median federal loan debt among borrowers who graduate from WSU is more than $21,000, providing scholarship funding for students remains our top priority. The Foundation seeks to raise an additional $10 million for need-based scholarships at WSU over the next fiscal year.

Additionally, the Foundation team will work to complete a goal of $5.25 million for the Shocker Success Center, providing the funds to renovate Clinton Hall. To date, the Foundation has raised $4.9 million toward this goal.

The third priority for the WSU Foundation is to partner with the athletics department to raise funds for a comprehensive softball team operations center and enhancements for the Charles Koch Arena weight room.

To learn more about the ongoing work of the WSU Foundation team, please visit the Horizon Blog.

Video thumbnail from Founders' Day of Giving announcement.

Our annual day of giving is today, Sept. 14. Join thousands of Shocker alumni, students, employees, parents and friends to celebrate our history and invest in our future by participating in our annual day of giving.

Your gifts today will take your generosity even further with the help of matching gifts in support of what you love.

The first $25,000 in gifts will be eligible for our WSU Foundation Board of Directors dollar-for-dollar match. You can even use this as an opportunity to enroll in payroll deduction to support WSU.

Image of students walking and text tomorrow 9.14.2022, logo with text Wichita State University Annual Day of Giving Founders' Day.

Our annual day of giving is nearly here. On Wednesday, Sept. 14, join thousands of Shocker alumni, students, employees, parents and friends to celebrate our history and invest in our future.

Giving during Founders’ Day will take your generosity even further with the help of designated matching gifts to support WSU colleges, departments, programs and teams.

Ariel campus photo with text "Founders' Day of Giving."

Whether you’ve walked the paths of WSU recently, long ago or only through the eyes of others, you are a valuable part of the university’s story. This is a place where the past stands side by side with the future. Professors and lecturers pass along their wisdom while students reach new heights of excellence, challenging each other to keep up with the ever-changing face of higher education.

This year, we’re celebrating that history with our first annual Founders’ Day of Giving on Sept. 14. This is a day for all of Shocker Nation to come together to invest in our future and continue advancing the vision of our beloved university.

Ariel campus photo with text "Founders' Day of Giving."

Whether you’ve walked the paths of WSU recently, long ago or only through the eyes of others, you are a valuable part of the university’s story. This is a place where the past stands side by side with the future. Professors and lecturers pass along their wisdom while students reach new heights of excellence, challenging each other to keep up with the ever-changing face of higher education.

This year, we’re celebrating that history with our first annual Founders’ Day of Giving on Sept. 14. This is a day for all of Shocker Nation to come together to invest in our future and continue advancing the vision of our beloved university.

Image of Student receives academic instruction from teacher.

Wichita State University has thousands of faculty and staff members dedicated to creating a successful experience for every student who steps on campus. But often, they don’t see the full impact that dedication has on the lives of students.

The Shocker Success Center will consolidate these offices in the center  of campus, enabling them to better serve WSU students.

“Having the building in the middle of campus will make it much easier for students to say, ‘can you help me?’ And even if they don’t, we’re going to be here to offer it to them so they can be all they can be. We’re going to do great things for students,” said Larry Burks, director of the office of Military and Veteran Services.

Image of Leanne Caret

Leanne Caret’s belief in the power of education goes beyond words. For years, she and her husband, Steve, have helped fund scholarships and educational opportunities and they want to continue that support for generations to come through a planned gift to Wichita State.

“Helping make education less of a burden gives people a chance they might not normally have,” said Caret. “We’ve been very blessed in our personal and professional lives, and we want to pay it forward. It’s as simple as that.”

Chemistry students study over a lab table.

Allen Galliart and Doug English have never met in person, but they share a common passion: helping chemistry students succeed. It’s this goal that brought the two together to start the Pooled Chemistry Scholarship at Wichita State.

Together, they created the Pooled Chemistry Scholarship, with the goal to find other alumni and faculty to contribute and get the scholarship to the endowed level, where it will provide student funding every year in perpetuity.

The parking lot directly south of the Rhatigan Student Center will close for an event on the morning of Thursday, Sept. 1. The lot will be available to park in after 2 p.m. Sept. 1.