Alumni, parents, friends of the University, foundations and corporations helped SF State raise more than $14.5 million during the fiscal year that ended June 30.

More than 7,000 individual donors -- a 300 percent increase from the previous fiscal year -- made contributions to SF State. "Our donors' generosity keeps higher education accessible to as many students as possible at SF State, and I am deeply grateful for their support," said Donna Blakemore, associate vice president of University Advancement.

During the past fiscal year, the University received four gifts that exceeded $1 million, including a three-year, $550,000 grant from the Ford Foundation. The grant will aid the Center for the Integration and Improvement of Journalism (CIIJ) at SF State in its goals to diversify U.S. newsrooms and ensure fair, accurate coverage of all of our communities.

Gail Whitaker, dean of the College of Extended Learning, said donors recognize the important role SF State plays in the surrounding community. "Whether it's preparing young people for their first careers or providing new learning opportunities for adults later in life, the University is making major contributions to the Bay Area and the nation," she said. "An increasing number of organizations recognize that their own missions mirror that of San Francisco State."

Her college is benefiting from a $1.2 million dollar gift from the Bernard Osher Foundation. It will create an endowment to support the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), part of CEL that provides courses and forums for people over 50. The Foundation also awarded the institute a bridge grant of $50,000 to meet current operational needs. Meanwhile a $1 million gift from Youth for Service, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, will create a scholarship endowment and computer laboratory at the new SF State Downtown Campus. "The gift allows San Francisco State to continue our efforts toward developing the University's state-of-the-art Institute for Next Generation Internet, which uses emerging computer technology to improve education, employment opportunities and economic development in the Bay Area," Whitaker said.

The largest gift from an individual donor -- $1.5 million -- will help fund a future Creative Arts building that will bring new state-of-the-art performance spaces to campus. Ronald Compesi, interim dean of the College of Creative Arts, pointed out, "This generous gift from a friend of the College of Creative Arts will not only benefit the campus but also art lovers in the surrounding community."

For more information on supporting SF State, visit the University Development Office online.

---Adrianne Bee