Skip to main content

Donor Giving to CSU Neared $6 Million Last Fiscal Year

Columbus State University alumni and friends gave more than $5.9 million to the university during its 2023-24 fundraising year, according to newly compiled figures that show significant, steady donor support over the past three years. The university celebrated many of its donors on Sept. 19 during a “Celebration of Support” dinner at its Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center. The event highlighted the private support from donors that expand the quality of student experiences in the classroom and the availability of scholarships to fund their educational experiences, such as study abroad trips“The future is so bright here at Columbus State,” President Stuart Rayfield told the crowd. “We have an amazing group of people on this campus who are working day in and day out to support students. But we also have a community—many of you sitting in this room—working every day to support this university. “We are at a pivotal moment in this state, and at a pivotal moment for higher education,” she continued, referencing local and statewide workforce needs. “This is an opportunity for our community that has built a foundation of entrepreneurship and innovation and the attitude of ‘Why not Columbus State?’” Rocky Kettering, CFRE, vice president for university advancement and executive director of the CSU Foundation, pointed out that the university’s most loyal donors are also excited about the future. Last year, about $4 million was directed to the colleges, including the Honors College. Giving to CSU athletics reached a three-year high with more than $1.1 million raised. Imbedded into those totals is more than $1.7 million that went directly to student scholarships. “The university has seen a lot of transition over the last few years, but the support from our community has not wavered,” Kettering said. “With President Stuart Rayfield on board and a newly adopted strategic plan in place, we are poised to make great strides this year in advancing the future of CSU and ensuring success for our students.”

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Seven Turner College Management and Marketing Faculty Have Combined to Produce Eight A-Level Journal Publications Between 2021 and the Present

A number of faculty in the Turner College's Department of Management and Marketing, which includes faculty in management information systems, have produced A-level journal publications in the last few years. This report covers that activity, starting with John Finley , the chairperson of the department. Professor Finley published a paper in the Journal of Computer Information Systems in 2022.      Finley is joined by Kirk Heriot , the Crowley Distinguished Chair in Entrepreneurship. Heriot, who earned a PhD in management from Clemson University, published in a 2021 issue of Small Business Economics . One of the study's co-authors, Andres Jauregui of Fresno State University, was previously a member of the Turner College's economics faculty.      Next is Johnny Ho , a professor of management, who has a 2022 publication in the Journal of Computer Information Systems . Ho has won CSU's Excellence in Research Award on multiple occasions, while he has compiled 2...

TSYS School, Jianhua Yang, Lixin Wang Each among Top Five in the World

New research by computer scientists in the School of Information Technology at Universiti Utara Malaysia that ranks institutions and individuals on the basis of scholarship in the area of stepping-stone attacks heaps praise on the Turner College’s TSYS School of Computer Science and two of its faculty – Jianhua Yang and Lixin Wang .   The article, published in the April 2023 issue of the International Journal of Research in Engineering and Science , provides a bibliometric analysis of both publication and citation data from 2000 to September of 2022 related to research on stepping-stone intrusion.   Among several results, it reports that Columbus State University ranks second worldwide, trailing only the University of Houston, using total publications on the subject as the basis of comparison.   A number of other U.S. institutions appear in the top 10, including third-ranked North Carolina State University, fourth-ranked University of Illinois, sixth-ranked Iowa State U...

New Butler Center Report Identifies Employment Gaps in the Columbus Area

Officials in the Turner College's Butler Center for Research and Economic Development recently put the finishing touches on an extensive report on trends in educational programs and occupations in the Columbus area. The report also includes data on business and technology trends.  According to Fady Mansour , Director of the Butler Center, there are several key takeaways from the report regarding 10 occupational gaps that currently exist in the Columbus area. First,  software development occupation exhibits the biggest labor shortage, with the report adding that the TSYS School has a bachelor's degree program in information technology along with a new AI track for the bachelor's degree in computer science, both of which can qualify students for this occupation. Other educational programs are in demand, such as computer programming and cloud computing. Second, there is a gap of 30 employees per year in general and operations management. This gap could be addressed by the Turn...