By Nicole Gregory, contributing writer
The seven-year “It Takes a Titan Campaign” has concluded, raising more than $270 million dollars that will benefit current and future students for generations to come.
In a webinar presentation on March 10, Ellen Treanor, associate vice president for Strategic Communications, spoke with Greg Saks, vice president for University Advancement and executive director of the Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation, about the stages of this campaign and the hard work and happy surprises that went into raising this large sum of money.
“It Takes a Titan” was Cal State Fullerton’s first-ever comprehensive campaign, meaning it was intended to raise money for several goals, rather than one specific goal as in, for instance, a capital campaign for the construction of a building. “We found through this campaign an incredible eagerness to help our students and campus reach new heights of success. Supporting students has dividends beyond the classroom and Orange County,” Saks said.
He and his development team focused on key priorities. “One is academic innovation,” he said. “We want to make sure our faculty have all the tools they need, including funds for professional development for faculty and research funds for faculty-student collaboration.”
Second, Saks said, was student empowerment. “We want to eliminate barriers to student success,” he said. This might include funding for scholarships or tackling food insecurity.
The third priority was campus transformation — physical improvements for the campus such as the new baseball/softball complex. And fourth is community enrichment, supporting such efforts as the Center for Healthy Neighborhoods.
The first stage of the campaign involved assessments and planning. “It was our first time embarking on an ambitious fundraising effort,” Saks said. He and his team looked at data and the needs of the Cal State Fullerton community. “We asked what we could…
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