How does WSU generate private support?
WSU Foundation and Division of Development and Alumni Affairs
The Wayne State University Foundation was established by the university’s Board of Governors in 1999 to develop a centralized means of encouraging and managing financial support by private sources. The foundation operates as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation and, though independent of the university, it participates as a partner with units of the institution, namely the Division of Development and Alumni Affairs, in realizing Wayne State’s overall advancement objectives.
The foundation is governed by a board of directors comprising prominent business and community leaders, and functions under the leadership of a chair chosen from among these individuals and a president who also holds the title of Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs.
Working in tandem, the WSU Foundation and Division of Development and Alumni Affairs seek to promote advocacy and generate meaningful financial support from private sources for the university’s programs and activities in teaching, research and community service. Funds raised provide the critical margin that enables Wayne State to offer undergraduate and graduate student scholarships, endow faculty chairs and professorships, advance academic and scientific programs and investigations, and enhance the campus’ physical infrastructure.
In 2008, the university completed Wayne First: The Campaign for Wayne State University, its first comprehensive fundraising campaign, with nearly $500 million raised in gifts and pledges, and an additional $407 million in-kind contribution from Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education. The campaign provided the platform to focus attention on the university as a whole and to concentrate fundraising efforts on advancing Wayne State’s prominence in research, teaching and community service by securing funding for capital needs, endowments, student programs and scholarships.
The Foundation and Division now concentrate on capitalizing on the momentum the Wayne First campaign created and continuing to engaging alumni and friends to support university initiatives. The university will benefit greatly from heightened cultivation and solicitation efforts, which inform greater numbers of individuals, organizations and community leaders about the existing strengths of Wayne State and the possibilities for future greatness.
