Forever LSU Campaign Two-Thirds of the Way to Goal

May 8, 2008

BATON ROUGE – The “Forever LSU” campaign is two-thirds of the way to its $750 million goal, campaign and university officials announced today.

Acting LSU Chancellor William L. Jenkins and national campaign chair and former Louisiana Congressman Henson Moore made the announcement in Alexandria, La., in conjunction with the beginning of the Tiger Tour, an annual celebration in which LSU coaches and officials tour Louisiana to meet with university supporters and fans.

“We have made great progress and are two-thirds of the way to our goal, but we need a strong finish to this campaign,” Moore said. “We only have 32 months to go, and we intend to reach our goal. This is the most important philanthropic challenge alumni and LSU supporters have ever been asked to undertake, and this is our chance to make a difference.”

Moore said the Forever LSU campaign has raised $484,766,330 in private giving consisting of cash, pledges, in-kind gifts and irrevocable planned giving. These private gifts have generated another $16.6 million in state matching funds as of December 2007, bringing the total from all funding sources to $501, 406,330 as of March 31, 2008. The Forever LSU campaign runs through 2010, which is LSU’s 150th anniversary.

The campaign’s contributions support four major areas: students, faculty, university programs and campus infrastructure. The private funds help attract and retain the most talented students by funding merit-based and need-based scholarships, as well as graduate fellowships. LSU also dedicates funds for increasing the number of endowed chairs and professorships for its faculty. This funding will attract and retain dynamic professors and researchers.

During the campaign, through a combination of public and private partnerships, the LSU Alumni Association has been able to establish 56 new “Top 100 Scholarships” and 37 new “Leadership Scholarships.” The Tiger Athletic Foundation has established 26 new “Foundation of Champion Scholarships.” The LSU Foundation has established 218 new “Endowed Scholarship Accounts.” Additionally, 146 professorships were matched during this time. The funds raised constitute combined donations made directly to the university and to the LSU Foundation, the LSU Alumni Association and the Tiger Athletic Foundation.

“As LSU looks to move forward in the national rankings with the National Flagship Agenda, the ‘Forever LSU’ campaign is helping to advance our cause,” said Jenkins. “We are grateful for everyone who has contributed, and we encourage those who have not yet participated to help us reach our goal of $750 million by the year 2010. Through this campaign, our supporters help position LSU as one of the nation’s top universities and help Louisiana grow economically.”

The campaign was launched publicly in June 2006 and was preceded by a silent phase of fundraising that began in July 2001.

For more information on “Forever LSU” or for ways to donate, visit www.foreverlsu.org or contact Bunnie Cannon at 225-578-0302 or Beverly Major at 225-578-0526.