Over $6 million in scholarships was given to students after an “unprecedented” year of fundraising for the Kent State Foundation.

Attaining a degree is costly but the foundation has a plan to help; 82 percent of all Kent State students and 96 percent of freshmen receive financial aid and rely on it to receive their degree. The $6.2 million in scholarships is going directly to those students not just for their basic degree, but also for study abroad, passport scholarships and Summer Undergraduate Research Experience allowing students to get experiences beyond a traditional education. 

Students can expect to see greater access to completion and merit-based scholarships, and 59 scholarships were added just this year. 

“Our donors and alumni came through in big ways to help our students succeed in one of the most difficult years ever!” said Valoree Vargo, chief executive officer at the Kent State University Foundation. 

In the generosity report released on Dec. 21, the foundation said more than 18,500 donors, including 3,260 first-time donors, supported Kent State and its students with over $22 million for student programs. 

The foundation was able to grow its endowment by 36 percent to $187.7 million. On giving Tuesday, one of the foundation’s annual fundraising events, a record-setting $2.23 million was raised in just 24 hours.

The Forever Brighter Campaign, the foundation’s campaign to expand university initiatives, has reached 91 percent of its $350 million goal already with over two years left to complete.

The largest gift in Kent State history was given this year, by the Crawford family in Oct. 2021, for the construction of Crawford Hall. This new building is going to house the College of Business and Entrepreneurship.  

In addition, the foundation has been able to raise support to expand the Aeronautics and Engineering building with the help of the Timken Foundation. They also gained support for new initiatives such as the Brain Health Research Institute and Design Innovation Initiative.

“Every act of generosity puts us closer to supporting another student whose life will be forever brighter from earning a KSU degree,” said Vargo.

Berkeley Chadwick is a Reporter. Contact him at [email protected].