San Diego State University pulled in a record $142.2 million in private donations during the fiscal year that ended on June 30, pushing the school’s endowment past the $500 million mark for the first time.
The newly released figures come less than two months after SDSU announced that fall enrollment would surpass 40,000, also a record. The applicant pool hit an unprecedented 130,000.
Not all of the news has been good. The deep cuts the Trump administration has been making nationwide in science funding cost SDSU $29 million, just as the school was gaining momentum in that area. But the other figures were solid.
The $142.2 million in donations is roughly $12 million higher than it was a year ago and includes $30 million for the KPBS radio and television public broadcasting stations, SDSU said. The money is particularly important because Congress cut more than $1 billion from public radio stations nationwide over the summer.
“Surpassing the $500 million mark for the first time is a historic milestone, solidifying the long-term, sustainable future of SDSU’s academic excellence and student opportunity,” Adrienne Vargas, vice president for university relations, said in a statement.