George G. Beasley, right, presents Appalachian State University Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock with a check symbolic of the nearly $700,000 contributed by members of the Class of 1958 to the university in honor of their 50th class reunion. Gifts from individuals, alumni, friends of the university and others exceeded $24 million in 2007-08, a 95 percent increase in giving from the previous fiscal year. Beasley challenged Appalachian’s Class of 1959 to match or exceed the class gift during their 50th class reunion in 2009. Beasley, a former educator, is a member of Appalachian’s Board of Trustees and is chairman and chief executive officer of Beasley Broadcast Group Inc. (Appalachian photo by university photographer Marie Freeman)
Gifts to Appalachian State University exceeded $24.768 million in cash, securities and in-kind gifts for the 2007-08 fiscal year, a 95 percent increase from the previous year.
“Appalachian would not be able to excel in areas of cultural programming and outreach, student scholarship support, facilities enhancements or faculty and staff development without the private funds contributed by our loyal alumni, parents, friends and others,” said Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock. “These gifts positively impact almost student, faculty and staff member at Appalachian.”
More than 13,200 alumni, parents of students, other individuals, foundations and corporations contributed to the Appalachian State University Foundation, the university’s fundraising organization, during the 2007-08 fiscal year.
An estate gift of more than $8 million will have a significant impact on the Hayes School of Music, providing support for scholarships, equipment and instrument purchases.
Appalachian received more than $6.8 million in 2007-08 to support student scholarships, received funds to complete a visitors center at Dark Sky Observatory, and contributions to construct a state-of-the art broadcasting complex that will be part of the university’s Department of Communication.
The continued momentum from the success of Appalachian’s football program generated more than $2.3 million in scholarships for student-athletes and almost $2 million for the university’s Athletic Facilities Enhancement Campaign. To date, more than $10 million in private support has been contributed to the campaign to expand the university’s football stadium and enhance athletic facilities used for soccer, baseball, softball and tennis.
Twenty-one percent of the graduating class of 1958 contributed nearly $700,000 to the university in honor of their 50th class reunion to support scholarships, academic programs and athletics facilities enhancements.
Giving Highlights
The Hayes School of Music also received support from the Liberace Foundation that will enable students to pursue careers in the performing and creative arts through scholarship assistance. The foundation supports the school’s Liberace String Quartet which is comprised of junior and senior music majors. “Having the opportunity to perform advanced chamber music in concert settings is vital to the development of professional musicians,” said William Harbinson, dean of the Hayes School of Music. “The Liberace Foundation’s support helps students focus on becoming musicians without the distraction of having to balance school work, rehearsal and performance schedules with the need to earn funds to cover the cost of their college education.”
Contributions to the George G. Beasley Broadcasting Complex and its Wayne L Sumner Broadcasting Studio in the College of Fine and Applied Arts’ Department of Communication will benefit the more than 900 students majoring in communication at Appalachian.
“These gifts will provide communication majors with a state-of-the-art facility where they can gain the skills necessary to enter the workplace,” said Glenda Treadaway, interim dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts. “In addition to the students majoring in electronic media, this facility also will benefit those in public relations and advertising. You can’t study communication without learning about mass media.”
Expected to open in 2010, the Beasley Broadcasting Complex will house WASU-FM, including offices for student workers and the station manager, two production suites and a waiting area. It also will have a classroom wired for audio/video production, a computer lab and four audio labs. The second floor of the complex will contain two television studios and control rooms, offices, a guest reception room, storage and six video editing suites.
The College of Arts and Sciences’ community outreach has been enhanced through contributions to the Harold and Mazie Jones Levinson Fund for the Environment. The fund supports an annual conference on growth and change in Western North Carolina to help elected officials and others learn how development can impact their county’s environment, roads and infrastructure.
“The continued enhancement of the Harold and Mazie Jones Levinson Fund for the Environment wonderfully compliments and supports Appalachian’s mission to further educate and assist our Western North Carolina communities,” said Tony Calamai, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “With the ever-growing impact of development in the Appalachian region, we are committed to and appreciate the ability to provide such outreach to the residents and leaders of our communities.”
In addition, gifts to the college’s Dark Sky Observatory will complete a visitors center and add a an observatory dome that will be used for public viewings and educational programs.
An estate gift to the Reich College of Education from two former school teachers will fund scholarships for freshmen from Western North Carolina pursuing a teaching degree. “Because we have very little in scholarship aid for freshmen this estate gift provides us with a wonderful foundation for providing financial aid to freshmen who are contemplating teaching,” said Dr. Charles Duke, dean of the Reich College of Education. “It is also a real switch for us. Most donors are interested in funding scholarship for students who have been admitted to the college. Having scholarship aid available to freshmen will be help encourage them to think about becoming a teacher.”
“Although it is very important to attract students into teaching, retaining them in the teaching profession is equally important,” Duke said. Funding from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation will support the college’s Beginning Teacher Support Network, an innovative pilot project with first-year teachers. “This is a good example of our continuing outreach efforts, and in this case how the college extends its resources of the college and university to our beginning teachers to make sure they get a good start in their careers,” he said.
Gifts to the North Carolina Banking Association Professorship in the Walker College of Business support faculty travel and presentations at conferences and to professional organizations. “The private support provided for professorships in our college is essential in ensuring that we are able to provide our high quality faculty with travel and other support that enables them to interact with the business community,” said Randy Edwards, dean of the business college.
Belk Library and Information Commons received private funds to establish the W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection Librarian Distinguished Professorship. The professorship will supplement the salary for the person holding the professorship and support travel expenses for their professional responsibilities and research. The professorship also will provide funds to support a visiting scholar on campus.
“The library’s Appalachian Collection is a an incredible repository of information related to the Appalachian region and an invaluable resource for our students, faculty, staff, genealogists, and researchers studying the history, music, culture, politics and economics of the region,” said University Librarian Mary Reichel. “This gift allows us to promote the resources of the Appalachian Collection far beyond our region. The visiting scholar program will benefit students and faculty as they exchange ideas with a major scholar every year.”
