Matthew Watson
In a sign of things to come for Chapman University, President Matt Parlow opened his first State of the University address by announcing a $10 million gift signed the night before the event – one of several major gifts and milestones celebrated at the Musco Center for the Arts on Friday, Feb. 27.
Throughout his address, Parlow showcased examples of student success, academic excellence, civil discourse, and community engagement that demonstrate the university’s upward trajectory.
He noted Chapman’s best-ever ranking in U.S. News & World Report, national awards earned by students, impressive alumni accomplishments, and the 10-year anniversaries of the Hilbert Museum of California Art and the Musco Center for the Arts.
“Something that really strikes me whenever I talk to people, whether it be alumni, faculty and staff, or board members … is the pride that each of us feels, whether we’ve been here for the last four decades or we’ve just joined within the last year,” Parlow said. “This pride of being part of this special community that has this really unique and impactful mission that we all feel a part of – something bigger than ourselves.”
Parlow invited Executive Vice President, Provost, and Chief Academic Officer Mike Ibba to talk more about academic excellence. Ibba explained the difference between Chapman’s philosophy compared to another university he worked at previously.
“I came from an institution where students were important, but they weren’t everybody’s priority. And I think our success in what we do is because we really do put students first,” Ibba said.
Ibba said Chapman focuses on experiential learning – learning by doing – with students getting hands-on experience in classrooms, labs, internships, and community work. He also touted the university’s research opportunities, interdisciplinary collaboration, and artificial intelligence approach as reasons Chapman is set up to help students succeed.
“From the latest national data, when we compare to our peers, we have better graduation rates, better retention rates, and better first-time salaries for our students compared to peer universities in our group,” he said.
As part of the university’s efforts to build bridges into the community, Parlow recognized top employers who recruit Chapman students and partner with the university before introducing a panel with Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff Amy Rogan-Mehta and Bank of America executives Allen Staff and Shari Battle. Staff and Battle talked about Bank of America’s 100-year history in Orange County and their long partnership with Chapman, including philanthropy and workforce development.
READ MORE: Chapman University Recognizes Top Employers for 2026
Bank of America Orange County’s Shari Battle (left) and Allen Staff (center) talk about partnering with Chapman with EVP and Chief of Staff Amy Rogan-Mehta (right). Photo by Nathan Worden.“What I’m looking forward to is continuing the legacy of where Chapman has been and where it’s going,” said Battle, who also serves on Chapman’s Board of Governors. “I am so enamored with how the university connects with the business community and making sure they have the right programs to meet the needs of our future workforce.”
Historic Milestones and Moments
Executive Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer Jessica Berger took the stage next to provide updates on Inspire: The Campaign for Chapman University, highlighting several impactful gifts from the past year, including the $10 million gift to the Fowler School of Engineering that Parlow announced at the beginning of the event.
Berger then welcomed philanthropist Christine Cross, who was previously honored at the 2013 State of the University for a $10 million gift. Parlow announced another $25.5 million from Cross, $20 million of which goes to need-based scholarships – the largest ever gift for scholarships Chapman has ever received – and $5.5 million for summer music camps.
“Christine embodies the spirit of the Inspire campaign,” Berger said “Christine and her family’s generosity have quietly and profoundly shaped the lives of Chapman students. Today, we are going to celebrate her and more than a decade of Chapman students that her family has supported.”
READ MORE: Chapman University Receives $25.5 Million Gift from Christine Cross
Cross is president of The Lloyd & Elisabeth Klein Legacy Foundation, and the foundation’s four current scholarship recipients joined them on stage to receive medals: Levi Black, Fiona Bumgarner, Azul Lopez, and Jacob Zamore.
With the gifts announced at State of the University, Chapman reached $480 million of the $500 goal of the Inspire campaign.
Parlow closed the event by announcing Chapman’s endowment had crossed the $1 billion threshold for the first time – an incredible jump from $300 million a decade ago. Parlow underscored the importance of growing the endowment to ensure Chapman has the resources needed to thrive in perpetuity. Two-thirds of the endowment goes directly to supporting student scholarships.
“As you can see, the state of our university is incredibly strong,” Parlow said. “We’re going to continue that.”
Several students and recent alumni were involved in the production of the State of the University.
The Nathaniel Yang Quartet, consisting of Class of 2025 graduates Nathaniel Yang, Caiden Craig, Tyler Fraser, and Eli Furie, played live music before and after the event.
Two senior Screen Acting majors provided video voiceovers, Olivia Brown for a year-in-review video and Zachary McDevitt for a video on the historical partnership between Bank of America and Chapman University. Dodge College of Film and Media Arts students also supported the video production team at the Musco Center.
