Fayetteville State University receives $5.8 million, largest gift to date
Fayetteville State University received a historic gift of $5.8 million gift on Friday –– the largest private gift in the school's history.
The gift breaks a university record for the fiscal year, FSU leaders said. Combined with the $1.57 million raised in philanthropic support in 2021, the university's total gifts and donations will total $8 million by June 30.
The $5.8 million private gift comes from the Anonymous Trust, which was created to serve rural and underserved communities in eastern North Carolina.
"This is the right time to provide additional resources through Bronco boost, through summer programs, scholarships, mentoring programs for those first end students that Fayetteville state gets many of," says Margaret Turlington, an Anonymous Trust representative.
According to school leaders, the gift will be used to create new opportunities for students, boost student retention and graduation rates and increase the recruitment of minorities. It will also be used for programs supporting career readiness and opportunities for after graduation.
Morgan Jackson, a Biology Major with a 3.9 GPA with an eye on becoming an Environmentalist, is one of the students who has benefited from the programming that will grow as a result of the gift.
"One of the programs that's really helped me is the Bronco One Stop located here in the library. I use it mainly to talk with my advisor and get information from her about what will make my years at Fayetteville State the best, so I can get the most out of them," she says.
Another program is the FSU 30-60-90 Bronco Free Summer School, which started last year with 1,300 students.
Chancellor Darrell T. Allison says this year 2,300 students – growth of more than 1,000 – benefited from that program.
“The funding from the Anonymous Trust will significantly advance our goals in to recruiting, retaining, and graduating our talented students regardless of their circumstances," says Allison. "We are deeply grateful for this gift and the opportunities it affords FSU to both be its best and do its very best."
The $5.8 million gift will be provided over three years.
The university's plans for it include a free summer school program to keep students on track towards degree completion within four years, an immersive, on-campus, summer transition program for incoming first-year and transfer students, need-based opportunity scholarships and more.
The funds will also support FSU’s College of Education Reading Clinic, which enables FSU students to provide tutoring services to elementary school students in Cumberland and surrounding counties.
