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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

$275 Million Raised In WSU Fund Drive

From Staff And Wire Reports

Washington State University ended its seven-year fund-raising campaign Wednesday, with 137,157 sponsors contributing a record $275.4 million.

“Campaign WSU” was the second-largest fund-raiser in the state behind the $284 million recently raised by the University of Washington, said Barbara Petura, WSU assistant vice president for university relations.

Nearly 55 percent of all WSU alumni participated, which may be the highest percentage among all U.S. public universities.

President Samuel Smith announced the end of the campaign in a statewide broadcast from Seattle. He chose the site because 70 percent of WSU alumni and students live in Western Washington.

Since 1990, the campaign has increased WSU’s scholarship endowment from $14.8 million to $46 million, raised the number of endowed chairs and distinguished professorships from six to 77 and allowed the university to invest in computer technology at several sites, including the WSU-Spokane branch campus and the Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education in Spokane.

Large donations included $23.7 million from Mentor Graphics of Wilsonville, Ore.; $8.6 million from Boeing Co.; $7 million from the late Edward R. Meyer, a 1938 graduate; $5 million from 1940 WSU graduate Phil Lighty of Burlingame, Calif., and $3 million from the Spokane-based Washington Wheat Commission.

, DataTimes