TOTAL GIVING
$15,070,818.10
Austin Peay State University received 4,932 gifts and pledges from 2,404 donors and achieved a fundraising total of $15 million during the 2023 fiscal year. In comparison to last year, APSU experienced a 9.8% increase in its number of donors and an 18.6% increase in its number of gifts, which is above the national trend. The 2023 fiscal year began on July 1, 2022, and concluded on June 30, 2023.
Over the last four years, APSU has had a 16% increase in its number of donors and a 29% increase in its number of gifts.
$9,505,054.53
Giving for FY23 was impressive, with $9,505,054.53 cash raised. That’s more than the amounts raised during the 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 fiscal years. APSU consistently continues to experience an increase in donors and the number of charitable gifts made for student success.
Over the past five years, 95 new endowments have been created at Austin Peay, for a total of over $26 million in endowment funding contributed to improve the future of the Austin Peay experience.
Endowments are permanently restricted funds managed by the Austin Peay State University Foundation. The amount of each scholarship award may vary and will be determined based upon the value of the endowment and the Foundation spending plan.
$2,143,899 IN SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED
935 STUDENTS RECEIVED SCHOLARSHIPS
“Tell the Story” was the theme of the Govs Give 2023, the University’s seventh annual online giving event. The campaign celebrated all the inspiring stories students, faculty, staff and community members have to share about their experiences at Austin Peay. From 10 a.m. on April 18 to 7:27 p.m. on April 19, donors gave $239,174 to support APSU Funds of Excellence for academics, athletics and Student Affairs during Govs Give 2023.
This year, alumni and friends made 837 gifts during the online giving campaign - breaking the all-time record for the number of annual gifts made in the history of Govs Give. APSU faculty and staff members gave during Govs Give for their participation in the SHAPE Faculty and Staff Giving Campaign, which celebrates how faculty and staff use their talents and gifts to shape Austin Peay. A total of 253 APSU faculty and staff members contributed during Govs Give 2023, making the current giving rate for the 2023 SHAPE Faculty and Staff Giving Campaign 31%.
$239,174
TOTAL GIVEN TO APSU FUNDS OF EXCELLENCE THROUGH GOVS GIVE
At the 39th Annual Candlelight Ball, hosted by Austin Peay State University on May 6, 2023 at the Omni Nashville Hotel, guests raised $162,500, surpassing the event goal of $100,000. This is the largest fundraising total in the history of the Candlelight Ball. Participants raised funds through gifts made during the event and the live auction. This is the first year in the history of the Candlelight Ball that donations will benefit Funds of Excellence in each academic college and across other major areas of the University.
Fortera Credit Union served as the inaugural Governor Sponsor for the event, making 2023 the first year that the Candlelight Ball has had a Title Sponsor. Premier Sponsors David and Tracie Hogan provided wine for the occasion, also a new addition to the Ball. Presenting sponsors included Allstate Insurance Agent Kathryn Minniehan, the APSU College of Business, F&M Bank, Legends Bank and Planters Bank.
Candlelight Ball is an Austin Peay State University tradition with a yearly history of providing students scholarships. Established in 1984, the Ball was founded by the late Brig. Gen. (Ret) Wendell H. Gilbert to fund APSU students’ scholarships. Gilbert served as APSU’s Vice President for Development and University Relations for 17 years. Gen. Gilbert passed away in July last year, just a few months after his wife Jean. His daughter, Ann Marie Crozier, is a 1986 graduate of Austin Peay State University. She joined President Licari onstage during the event to present the 2023 Candlelight Ball Awards in honor of her parents. The 2023 Wendell H. Gilbert Award was presented to Dr. Joe (‘70) and Estella Greer. The Spirit of Austin Peay Award was presented to Retired Master Sgt. Larry Goolsby (’97) and his wife, Barbara Goolsby.
The members of the 2022-2023 Candlelight Ball Committee are Co-Chairs Betsy Baggett and Jordan McWhirter, as well as Andrea Goble, Andrea Herrera, Kathryn Minniehan, Adrienne Beasley, Kimberly Wiggins, Casey Tenholder, Candice Coleman, Amelia Magette, Nicole Rye, Ginna Holleman, Lesleigh Averitt, Lillie Millan, Beth Mabry and Chandler Hamaker.
The APSU Alumni social media platform with the most engagement is Facebook. This year, we have significantly grown our reach on this platform by implementing an increased schedule of content on our Facebook pages for existing events, such as the Candlelight Ball, and creating new pages for our new events, such as the APSU Govs Military Hall of Fame.
In 2023, The Austin Peay State University College of Behavioral and Health Sciences named APSU Assistant Professor of Psychological Science and Counseling Eva Gibson, Ed.D. the inaugural recipient of the Bill Wyatt Distinguished Professorship. The Bill Wyatt Distinguished Professorship Endowment was established in October 2022 by a generous gift from the Clarksville Montgomery County Community Health Foundation (CMCCHF). The professorship is awarded for a term of one year, and awardees may receive the award for multiple terms. Additionally, the award is the first professorship in the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences.
Gibson’s project for the professorship is titled “Fostering a diverse student body in the APSU School Counseling Program.” In her proposal, she details the national and local shortage of school counselors trained to address the needs of K-12 students. Through the professorship, her plan is to provide two $2,000 merit scholarships for the next two academic years to attract diverse students to APSU’s School Counseling degree program.
“The CMCCHF is pleased to honor Mr. Bill Wyatt, a 1970 graduate of APSU, through an endowment to APSU,” CMCCHF Chair Rosalind Kurita said. “This award will provide resources for APSU professors to expand student knowledge and experiences in the area of Health Sciences. It will also ensure that Mr. Wyatt’s commitment to APSU and its ability to positively influence the health of our community will be felt and appreciated for many years to come.”
In 2023, Legends Bank pledged a significant gift to the Austin Peay State University College of Business Dean’s Fund of Excellence and to establish the Legends Bank Distinguished Professorship in Banking or Finance Endowment at APSU. This donation now makes Legends Bank the largest corporate investor to date for the APSU College of Business.
“This new professorship will be an impressive addition to the unique programs and projects within our College of Business,” APSU President Mike Licari said. “It will enhance the Austin Peay experience for our faculty and students in many ways, and reflects the tremendous support we receive from business leaders. We are proud to say that our students and campus visitors will be able to recognize the contribution of our community partners when they enter the Legends Bank Lecture Hall.”
Legends Bank has previously supported Austin Peay through the Candlelight Ball, the Legends of Business Speaker Series and various scholarship funds and athletics programs.
The professorship will be a highly prestigious award for all the finance faculty members who will receive it. The award will enable the College to attain high-quality, teaching-oriented faculty in the College of Business at Austin Peay State University. Selected professors will receive faculty development funds to be used for research improvements and equipment, creative teaching enhancements and to attend educational conferences and other professional development events. The professorship will be awarded for a term of three years. Awardees may receive the Legends Bank Distinguished Professorship award for multiple terms.
The Austin Peay State University Division of Alumni, Engagement and Philanthropy has finalized our Strategic Plan for 2023 - 2028. Known as the Govs for Life Experience, this plan details our goals for growing the ways in which we engage with our alumni, the Clarksville area and the Austin Peay campus community. This plan has been designed to complement the Austin Peay Experience, which is the overall plan for the University. It is our hope that in the coming years, we can fulfill the goals of this plan to better serve you. For questions, please contact the APSU Office of Philanthropy at 931-221-7127 or give@apsu.edu.
Inspiring alumni and friends through a network of engagement and philanthropic support for Austin Peay State University that creates Govs for Life.
Vision
Our vision is to be a transformational and inclusive network of alumni and friends who remain engaged and invested in Austin Peay State University throughout their lifetimes.
Values
• Integrity - Ensuring honest, authentic relationships and interactions.
• Inclusiveness and Diversity - Bringing everyone to the table.
• Engagement - Keeping alumni and friends inspired and connected for a lifetime.
• Excellence - Striving for the highest quality in all we do.
• Innovation - Expanding relationships and collaboration through philanthropy and long-term support.
Expanding a diverse and inclusive network of alumni and friends that remain actively connected to Austin Peay State University.
• Goal: Establish and enrich connections between Austin Peay State University and its alumni and friends.
• Goal: Provide an impactful experience for board members and volunteers.
• Goal: Increase collaboration with faculty, staff and students.
Celebrate a milestone anniversary by engaging Govs for Life.
• Goal: Create a centennial celebration, leveraging current events and growing relationships.
• Goal: Implement an inclusive centennial fundraising campaign that is the largest in Austin Peay State University’s history.
• Goal: Further establish an innovative culture of philanthropy.
Increase resources to ensure continued success and a great volunteer and donor experience.
• Goal: Provide sufficient staff with the right skills to achieve goals.
• Goal: Ensure that systems and technology are in place to support innovation and increased success.
• Goal: Secure space to accommodate alumni, friends, staff and events.
Effectively communicate with internal and external constituencies.
• Goal: Develop an internal communications and marketing plan for the division to include key messaging and branding to better communicate with faculty, staff and students.
• Goal: Develop an external communications and marketing plan for the division to include key messaging and branding to better communicate with alumni, donors and friends.
We need your help to share the APSU experience with our community! To tell our narrative of why our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends love this University, we ask you to send us your personal Austin Peay story for us to share on our social media pages, and in future email campaigns. Follow all the action at @ APSUAlumni on all social platforms.
You can tell us:
· Your favorite experience(s) at APSU
· Your community involvement as an APSU faculty or staff member, student or a member of our alumni community
· How someone at Austin Peay has impacted your life
· How someone giving to Austin Peay has impacted your time here
· Why you give back to the University
