During an annual State of the University address, Chapman University President Daniele C. Struppa outlined a five-year strategic plan to position the 160-year-old university as “one of the great universities of the United States.”
“I think Chapman is at the point where we can really expect to be one of the great universities in the country,” Struppa said Friday, Feb. 10, as he delivered the address at the university’s Musco Center for the Arts.
The plan, dubbed “Our Path to Greatness,” aims to invest resources in five key areas: academic excellence, expanding health and science graduate programs, academic superiority, organizational excellence and campus projects.
On Saturday, the university kicked off a $500 million, five-year fundraising campaign, with a longer term goal of $2 billion by 2037.
The first major gift to the campaign was announced Saturday at the Chapman Celebrates gala – a gift of $5 million from Jim and Kay Burra, which will help establish the Burra School of Accounting and Finance within Argyros School of Business and Economics.
The Burras previously established an endowed professorship and Jim Burra has served on Chapman’s Board of Governors and Board of Trustees.
“Our donors are at the heart of our progress as a business school,” said Henrik Cronqvist, dean of the Argyros School of Business and Economics. “Their support allows us to create new and innovative programs and strengthen existing ones. The generosity of the Burras will allow us to prepare students for the dynamic fields of accounting and finance.”
More than $300 million was already raised during the campaign’s silent phase over the past five years, university officials said.
A lengthy list of planned academic initiatives include the expansion of programs for students from underrepresented communities and gaining formal recognition as a Hispanic serving institution, officials said.
The university also aims to improve student retention rates by…
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