It tells outside entities, some of them who are trying to develop an affinity for your institution and figure out whether the institution is a good investment, to know that alumni feel that way. That’s super important.” Abdullah said Scott’s gifts have had an overall positive impact on alumni and to show them they were still an important part of VSU’s support system, the university used the 2020 gift to match alumni giving. Since the two gifts were presented, the blessings have continued to flow. VSU’s community of supporters – including 40 first-time donors – contributed $278,206.29 during Giving Tuesday last year. The generosity of an anonymous donor matched every dollar during this campaign making their Giving Tuesday total $556,412.58. The institution exceeded their 2024 campaign by more than $150,000. Dr. Willis Walter, Vice President, External Relations & Institutional Advancement said VSU’s 2025 strategic plan, GREATER by Design, was launched to reflect the uptick in donations and pre- existing needs of students, faculty and overall university infrastructure. The university was also awarded a $2 million grant from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) to launch its AI- Enabled Digital Transformation Initiative, a multi-year initiative funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., created to empower eight HBCUs to improve enrollment, retention, and graduation. “I would like to think that our gifts, which have gone up by a couple of million over the last 10 years, from alumni, faculty, staff and other friends of the institution is a result of them really believing in the work that we’re doing,” said Walter. “Even students are giving more than what they had in the past. They have a vested interest and it’s showing financially. We were already building a new engine to best meet the students’ needs. These dollars help us do that a little bit faster.”
THE IMPACT OF DONOR SUPPORT Even before Scott’s $80 million infusion, VSU leadership was hard at work, strategically planning for its future. The state’s first HBCU received funds from the government and plans were underway to build a 30,000-square- foot admissions building, a research and cooperative extension facility and a $120 million, 174,000 square-foot Alfred W. Harris Academic Commons featuring a theater, classrooms and swimming pool. In August 2021, students returned to campus to see four buildings renamed for Black women who made significant contributions to the University: Lula Johnson Hall (the first Black woman to graduate from VSU); Lucretia Campbell Hall (the first Black woman faculty at VSU); Johnnella Jackson Hall (musician and civil rights activist who wrote the music for VSU's “Alma Mater Song” and; Otelia Howard Hall (VSU professor, advisor and charter member of two campus organizations).
Additional updates to the University under Abdullah’s leadership prior to and following Scott’s gift include: • increasing enrollment of first-time in college students • increasing the four-year graduation rate • implementing new doctoral, master’s, educational specialist and bachelor’s degree programs • creating a free tuition program for approximately 300 Pell eligible, first-time freshmen from high schools near VSU • establishing the University's Advisory Board for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning Intersex Ally+ Inclusion • allowing students who complete their associate’s degree from Richard Bland College to earn their four-year degree from VSU. “By far, the no. 1 thing that we look to raise money for – whether that's public or private funds – is trying to work to help make our product at Virginia State University more affordable for the students who want it and need it,” said Abdullah. " We’ve got other ideas that we want to do. We want to build buildings, we need to invest in our technology, infrastructure – particularly AI – and I could go on and on. But most important – and we’re not even close – is how can we do what we can to make sure more students can attend and graduate from Virginia State University – and that’s scholarships. " - DR. ABDULLAH
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