Support for SDSU Grows in Past Year

“There are many exciting things going on at the university that people want to be a part of.”

Gift commitments to San Diego State University totaled $127,255,503 in the 2019-20 fiscal year, an increase of nearly 10% from the previous year despite an economic downturn from the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Figures for the year ending June 30 were announced by SDSU Vice President of University Relations and Development Adrienne Vargas July 27 and represent a second consecutive year of fundraising growth. 

Topping the list of gift recipients were SDSU Athletics, which received $33.6 million from donors, and KPBS, with gifts totaling $30.85 million. Total donations to Academic Affairs, which encompasses the university’s programs across all colleges, the library and SDSU Imperial Valley, were almost $50.8 million.

The largest single donation to SDSU in the past year was from San Diego philanthropist Mrs. Dianne L. Bashor, who pledged $15 million toward construction of the new stadium that will be part of SDSU Mission Valley. In recognition of her generosity, SDSU will name the field at the new Aztec Stadium Bashor Field.

The state of the university

Vargas credited much of the latest fundraising success to the university’s goal of building a world-class university campus, research center, and multi-use stadium in Mission Valley to serve higher education, the public good, and the community’s goals and aspirations. She said excitement over the university’s impending Mission Valley expansion, the high-profile successes of its sports teams, and the high rankings of programs in many of the colleges all played a part in increasing support from alumni and the community. 

“It’s the state of the university right now with a lot of things coming together,” Vargas said. “All of them have been ingredients for our success.” 

Like much of the country, SDSU is heading into a period of constrained resources. The state recently announced a cut of $30 million from SDSU’s current budget, the largest amount of any school in the California State University system.

Vargas said SDSU alumni and other donors have come to understand the university’s importance as an economic driver for the San Diego region and California. They support the school’s ascendance to the ranks of top-tier public research universities. 

Leaving a legacy

One such donor, Terry Atkinson (’70), recently made a $1 million gift to SDSU which he said he hoped would help “take San Diego State to another level.” Half of his donation creates the Terry Atkinson Endowed Professorship in Finance while the other $500,000 is earmarked for the new Aztec Stadium in Mission Valley. The gift to the Fowler College of Business is being matched by philanthropists Ron and Alexis Fowler.

“There are many exciting things going on at the university that people want to be a part of,” Vargas said. She recently announced the creation of a new philanthropy website, give.sdsu.edu, where visitors may explore the wide variety of possibilities to support SDSU.

Vargas said a popular way for alumni and others to support the university is through planned giving, which can create lasting legacies with estate gifts. Planned gifts were among the top choices of donors to SDSU over the past year. 

Visit plannedgiving.sdsu.edu or contact Amy Walling at 619-594-0286 or [email protected] to learn more about leaving your legacy at SDSU.