Shawnee State Announces $12 Million Capital and Endowment Campaign

     Shawnee State University Board of Trustees Chair Kay Reynolds announced today a $12 million capital and endowment campaign to support a broad array of campus initiatives.  The Poised for Tomorrow campaign, the largest of its kind ever in the region, has already raised $6.7 million.

     “The scope of this campaign and the substantial amount we have already raised demonstrate the breadth of our vision for Shawnee State and the depth of our support in the community,” said Reynolds.

     The campaign began with a “quiet phase” in April 2005 with a committee planning and executing fundraising activities. 

     “Thanks to our more than 100 volunteers, we have already raised $6.7 million in cash and planned gifts,” said Morris.  “That amount is larger than the $5.9 million total for Shawnee State’s last campaign.  With so much support we are excited by the prospect of reaching our $12 million goal by spring 2008,” said Shawnee State University President Rita Rice Morris.

     Joining Reynolds and Morris at the announcement was campaign co-chair Frank Waller who appreciated the widespread support the Poised for Tomorrow campaign has received.

     “Everyone I have spoken to has been so excited by the initiatives the campaign will fund,” said Waller.  “No one has turned me down yet.”    

     The Poised for Tomorrow campaign will support new programs, increase scholarships, fund faculty research and professional development and make possible the construction of new facilities.

     The early success of the Poised for Tomorrow campaign was thanks in part to the widespread support it received on campus.  Nearly 94 percent of faculty and staff made pledges during a campus campaign last fall that totaled over $500,000.

     Morris described her pride in Shawnee State’s growing role in the revitalization of the Portsmouth region.

     “Thanks to the high quality university education students receive at Shawnee State, the region is gathering the intellectual capital on which a 21^st century economy depends,” said Morris.   “Contributions to the Poised for Tomorrow campaign are not just a demonstration of support for Shawnee State, they are a vote of confidence in the future of southern Ohio.”

     Shawnee State University prepares students for the challenges of a career and the duties of society through more than 80 bachelor’s and associate degree programs in such diverse fields of study as education, the arts, business, engineering, health services and video game design.  In the fall of 2006 the university inaugurated its first graduate program, a master’s degree in occupational therapy.

     At Shawnee State excellence is our common goal.  Shawnee State is a university of opportunity that enrolls students with a broad array of talents and backgrounds, but all students who attend Shawnee State accept the challenge of striving for personal excellence.  They do so in a supportive academic environment, guided by top-flight faculty members who are dedicated to the mission of teaching their students.  Enrollment at Ohio’s newest four-year university continues to grow and is currently more than 3,800 students.  Shawnee State is located in Portsmouth, on a beautifully landscaped 52-acre campus overlooking the Ohio River.