{"id":350243,"date":"2026-07-23T19:22:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T19:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/350243\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T19:22:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T19:22:09","slug":"florida-state-university-records-historic-year-of-philanthropy-and-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/350243\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida State University records historic year of philanthropy and impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"A\t\t<\/p>\n

Florida State University recorded the most successful fundraising year in its history during the 2025-26 fiscal year, with alumni, parents, faculty, staff, friends and partners contributing a record $235.4 million.<\/p>\n

The total surpassed the university\u2019s previous fundraising record of $225 million, set in 2015-16, led by a $100 million gift from Jan Moran and The Jim Moran Foundation.<\/p>\n

The record-breaking total includes philanthropic support raised through the FSU Foundation, Seminole Boosters, Research Foundation, Alumni Association and The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. These investments support FSU\u2019s strategic priorities leading to FSU\u2019s powerful impact across Florida and beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis record-setting year reflects our momentum and the exquisite support of Florida State University\u2019s future,\u201d FSU President Richard McCullough said. \u201cFrom Dr. Herbert Wertheim\u2019s historic $65 million dollar gift to the over 41,000 donors who support Florida State each year, these gifts create new opportunities for students, accelerates groundbreaking research and advances initiatives that improve our lives. We are deeply grateful to every donor who is now part of our shared future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The record fundraising year advanced priorities across the university, from scholarships to faculty support, to improved healthcare, to research and capital projects.<\/p>\n

The year\u2019s largest gift came from visionary entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr. Herbert Wertheim whose $65 million investment established the Herbert Wertheim College of Business and the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence. This is the largest endowment gift in university history<\/a> and will transform the business of healthcare, create new opportunities for students and faculty and further strengthen one of the nation\u2019s leading public business schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are deeply grateful to every donor who is now part of our shared future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 FSU President Richard McCullough<\/p>\n

The university also received a $10 million gift<\/a> from Bruce and Tracey Berkowitz and The Fairholme Foundation, the largest in the history of the FSU College of Nursing. The investment will expand undergraduate nursing education and innovation at FSU\u2019s Panama City campus while helping address critical nursing workforce shortages across Northwest Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery gift represents someone who believes in Florida State and the impact this university has on students, families and communities,\u201d said Marla Vickers, vice president for University Advancement and president of the FSU Foundation. \u201cI extend my deepest gratitude to FSU\u2019s donors and commend their commitment to supporting our university through philanthropy. Their remarkable philanthropy directly empowers our students, strengthens our academic programs and fuels the work of our faculty in truly transformational ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was also one of the most successful fundraising years in Seminole Boosters history. Philanthropic support helped the Boosters and Athletics open the renovated Doak Campbell Stadium, creating an enhanced experience for fans, donors and student-athletes, as well as the Dunlap Football Center to further enhance recruiting, development and student-athlete support.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was among the strongest fundraising year in Seminole Boosters history, and it happened because our supporters don\u2019t just give to Florida State, they are part of the Seminole family,\u201d said Stephen Ponder, president and CEO of Seminole Boosters. \u201cTheir generosity strengthens our student-athletes, advances the university\u2019s mission and demonstrates what\u2019s possible when our community comes together behind Florida State.\u201d<\/p>\n

The university\u2019s record fundraising year reflects the generosity of thousands whose investments are helping Florida State expand opportunities, advance discovery and prepare tomorrow\u2019s leaders. As the university\u2019s comprehensive campaign continues, those partnerships will play a vital role in shaping Florida State\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

To learn more about supporting Florida State University, visit give.fsu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Florida State University recorded the most successful fundraising year in its history during the 2025-26 fiscal year, with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":350244,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[106796,28,30,29,143316,84852,49703,76851,142453,60111,47960],"class_list":["post-350243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-college-of-nursing","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-fsu-alumni-association","tag-fsu-foundation","tag-herbert-wertheim-center-for-business-excellence","tag-herbert-wertheim-college-of-business","tag-seminole-boosters","tag-the-john-and-mable-ringling-museum-of-art","tag-university-advancement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350243"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350243\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/350244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}