When President Daniele C. Struppa stood before a packed audience at the State of the University two years ago to announce Chapman University’s most ambitious public fundraising initiative yet, the goals seemed extraordinary.
Inspire: The Campaign for Chapman University was a visionary endeavor, aiming to raise $500 million by 2028 and increase endowment giving to $2 billion by 2037. But as Chapman’s next president, Matt Parlow, said at the time, “Throughout its more than 160 years, Chapman has continually exceeded expectations – it’s in our DNA.”
Through the efforts of the university and a supportive community of donors, Chapman has continued to surpass expectations by eclipsing the $400 million mark ahead of schedule, putting it on pace to reach its $500 million goal far in advance of the 2028 target.
“We are thrilled with the support we have received from members of our community,” said Parlow, president-elect and executive vice president and chief advancement officer. “In addition to putting us ahead of schedule on the most ambitious fundraising initiative in the university’s history, we are making great strides to grow our endowment, which directly improves our ability to support students, enhance our academic offerings and bolster the opportunities that Chapman is known for.”
The campaign’s success reflects the deep commitment of the Chapman Family, with more than 19,000 donors contributing over 80,000 individual gifts. These contributions are already transforming campus life by funding scholarships, expanding academic programs and improving facilities.
A key catalyst for this success was the innovative 12 Gifts of Chapman donor recognition series, which showcased transformational monthly gifts through February 2024. In addition to amplifying Chapman’s momentum nationally, these gifts helped support the establishment of new endowed chairs, scholarships and doctoral fellowships, strategic innovation initiatives and student hardship assistance. In fact, the community’s support was so impressive that Chapman ultimately highlighted 18 gifts during this one-year period.
Building on the achievements of the 12 Gifts series, transformational support over the past year has continued, and has been framed as the Inspired Gifts of Chapman to demonstrate how supporters’ gifts have inspired students, fields of research and scholarship and the broader Panther and philanthropic communities. Recent gifts have profoundly impacted advancing key areas such as graduate scholarships, business, athletics, free speech and Holocaust education.
Most recently, alumnus Alex Hayden’s gift established the Alexander E. Hayden School of Real Estate to bring national and global cachet to Chapman’s real estate profile. This marks the third named school within Argyros College of Business and Economics, joining the Burra School of Accounting and Finance and the Doy B. Henley School of Management. These schools enhance Chapman’s reputation as a prestigious institution for business education, offering students diverse academic opportunities to customize their education according to their career goals.
Prior to that, the Fletcher Jones Foundation endowed a chair in free speech to support Chapman’s abiding commitment to the topic. As some universities across the country have struggled to maintain a campus environment that supports and celebrates free speech in recent years, Chapman has remained resolute in its deep commitment to free speech and viewpoint diversity.
In October, the Masson Family established an endowed scholarship for graduate students, ensuring a perpetual funding source for those pursuing advanced degrees while helping Chapman recruit talented students to these programs. The gift also contributed to one of the Masson Family’s greatest passions, Chapman’s water polo teams, which will raise the athletics bar for these student-athletes.
That announcement came on the heels of an endowment from the Samueli Foundation supporting Chapman’s annual Holocaust Art & Writing Contest, continuing to build a bridge of remembrance for future generations. For 25 years, the contest has provided a vital connection between young learners and the survivors of the Holocaust, growing from a local event to an international phenomenon with over 7,000 participants worldwide and more than 150,000 participants in all.
“Investments like this from across the Chapman Family are elevating our academic profile, preparing the next generation of leaders and transforming our future,” Parlow said.
Discover how you can be part of Chapman’s future by visiting inspire.chapman.edu today.
