Following Emporia State’s hugely-successful Now & Forever fundraising campaign that ended in 2017, the university has gone at least one step beyond that.
Totals won’t be released until the Founders Day celebration on campus Feb. 17, but ESU says the Together, Forward campaign that ended on New Year’s Day is the university’s largest and most successful such effort to date. Together, Forward started immediately after Now & Forever ended, and Foundation President and CEO Shane Shivley says that was by design.
A silent campaign went public in February 2021, and by Homecoming 2021 the campaign had passed its initial goal of $50 million. The plan then was to target a stretch goal of $75 million — and ESU says that goal has been surpassed. Now & Forever closed with $58 million generated.
Support for the campaign came from all corners, according to Foundation Director of Donor Relations Jan Trelc.
The campaign closed with over 64,000 donations from nearly 13,000 donors. It has helped to support numerous ventures, including the Nursing and Student Wellness Center, the redesigned Feltner Student Nursing Square, a campus disc golf team and course, a new competitive esports team and eVentures program and an increase in scholarships, especially for the arts. It also led in part to the Jones Premier Nursing and Education Scholarship.
