CSU announces $100M campaign goal
After a not-so-quiet phase that already raised nearly two-thirds of its target, Columbus State University on Tuesday announced a capital campaign with the most ambitious goal in the institution's 57-year history.
Dubbed the "First Choice Campaign," the comprehensive effort is designed to raise at least $100 million by 2019 to "cement CSU's status as a favored destination for top students and faculty," according to the news release.
Since objectives for the campaign began to be envisioned 18 months ago, $61 million already has been donated or pledged, said campaign chairman Phil Tomlinson, retired chief executive officer of Columbus-based TSYS. He explained in an interview why he agreed to lead the mission.
"CSU has a special place in my heart," he said. "We would not have been nearly as successful if we had not been able to draw on this university. Everything that CSU does is good for this region."
Tomlinson recalled CSU's 1958 founding as a junior college housed in an abandoned hosiery mill. Now, it's a university with two campuses and a capital campaign goal that doubles the amount Valdosta State announced Monday.
"There's never a really great time to raise a significant amount of money," Tomlinson said. "But it's time to do it. It's been 10 years since we had a major capital campaign. You can see the DNA of that campaign all over. We think this will take it to another level, and we're very excited about that."
Jimmy Yancey, retired chairman of Columbus-based Synovus Finanical Corp., led the "Investment in People Campaign" a decade ago. It was so successful, the original goal of $67 million was boosted to $85 million, and the final tally was $106 million. This campaign, which the Ledger-Enquirer reported in August, will be combined with Tier 2 projects expected to total $25 million, making officials confident they will raise the most money in CSU's history.
All of which impresses Neil Pruitt, chairman of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.
"This institution really has done a great job with all the metrics we have," he told the Ledger-Enquirer.
That will help the campaign be a success, Pruitt said, despite a sluggish recovery from the Great Recession.
"Obviously, we've seen the economic pressures in the state with the decreased tax revenue," he said, "but a lot of private individuals have stepped in and really helped our universities and institutions - no more so than here in Columbus."
Tuesday's ceremony in the Lumpkin Center was like a pep rally, complete with cheerleaders and streamers, food and refreshments. The narrator in the video projected on the massive screen summed up campaign: "Lofty goals, yes, but first-choice universities should never settle for second best."
The day after the last of the five presidential candidates conducted an open forum, interim CSU president Tom Hackett, who grew up in the institution since his father was a professor, defined a first-choice university.
"It means we put our students first," he told the crowd. "It means we create a campus culture and a learning environment that causes students to know instantly that this is where they want to be. It means faculty choose to teach here because of the support structure and students who surround them. It means that community partners choose the university to help them in solving real-world problems. It means providing the best facilities for technology, learning and teaching. That is why this campaign is so important."
Rachel Green, the CSU Student Government Association president, thanked the audience for supporting the university.
"Just as I benefit from the investments made by so many friends and alumni in the previous campaign," she said, "I look forward to coming back as a proud graduate of Columbus State and seeing all the exhilarating things."
Tony Link, chairman of the CSU Foundation, appropriately wore green and linked the campaign to the day's holiday.
"St. Patrick's Day, you plant your seed potatoes," he said. " Phil Tomlinson is planting the seed potatoes of this campaign, and our board, the board of trustees, all the volunteers, we're going to nurture this campaign along and make it grow and make it be successful."
Alan Medders, CSU's vice president for advancement, followed Link to the podium and cracked, "Tony, we actually got accused of doing this on St. Patrick's Day because money's green."
Mark Rice, 706-576-6272. Follow Mark on Twitter@MarkRiceLE.
FIRST CHOICE COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGN SUMMARY OF PRIORITIES
TIER 1
College of the Arts
Bo Bartlett Center: $9 million
RiverPark Library: $2 million
CSU Fund (annual support for scholarships, performances, student travel, emerging needs, etc.): $2 million
College of Education and Health Professions
New building in downtown (former Ledger-Enquirer building): $25 million
STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teacher preparation: $3 million
Professorships: $2.5 million
CSU Fund (annual support for scholarships, student travel and research, Math Collaborative, emerging needs, etc.): $2.5 million
Endowed student scholarships: $1.25 million
College of Letters and Sciences
STEM solutions: $3 million
Professorships: $2.5 million
CSU Fund (annual support for scholarships, student travel and research, STEM Camp, emerging needs, etc.): $2 million
Endowed student scholarships: $1.25 million
Turner College of Business
Center for Commerce & Technology addition: $10 million
Professorships/programs: $2.5 million
CSU Fund (annual support for scholarships, Business Plan Competition, student travel, research, emerging needs, etc.): $2 million
Endowed student scholarships: $1.25 million
Honors College
Educational Activity Endowment: $8 million
Endowed student scholarships: $6 million
CSU Fund (annual support for scholarships, Tower Day, student research, international travel, etc.): $1 million
Athletics
Athletic Performance Center: $2.25 million
Key Golf Studio and Golf Center: $2 million
Cougar Club (annual support for scholarships, travel, individual sports, equipment, etc.): $500,000
Institutional priorities
Servant Leadership Program: $5 million
CSU Fund (annual support for opportunities for distinction, technology enhancements, operational needs, infrastructure, training, conference participation, student travel, etc.): $3.5 million
Total: $100 million
TIER 2
CSU vice president for advancement Alan Medders said the campaign hopes to raise another $25 million for Tier 2 projects. They aren't completely listed because some projects will drop off or be added, based on donor interest, he said. Here are the Tier 2 projects that already have been funded:
College of the Arts
Pasaquan renovation: approximately $9 million (exact figure to be determined when property is appraised before being gifted to CSU Foundation)
Seaboard Depot Art Studios renovation: $1.3 million
Athletics
Baseball stadium renovation: $1.3 million
This story was originally published March 17, 2015 at 6:05 PM with the headline "CSU announces $100M campaign goal."