The first comprehensive fundraising campaign for Penn State intercollegiate athletic programs, the "Success With Honor" campaign, recently ended, raising $130,856,484.
The money, raised primarily from donors through the Nittany Lion Club, has already accounted for 151 new athletic scholarships, while also allowing for a complete renovation of the Penn State Sports Medicine offices, according to a press release.
Although newsletters and e-mails about the campaign were sent to Nittany Lion Club members, much of the campaign's success came from direct communication between friends and alumni of Penn State.
"We have professionals that go out and visit with donors and talk to them one-on-one about our intentions and needs for the athletic program," Director of Development for Athletics Ken Cutler said. "But a lot of it comes just from word of mouth."
Along with creating the new scholarships, the campaign has helped offset operational costs and maintain athletic facilities.
The money raised directly contributed to the construction of the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex in Rec Hall in 2005 and the completion of Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, home to the Nittany Lion baseball team, in 2006. Plans are also in the works to use some of the funds to construct a new clubhouse for the Penn State men and women's golf teams.
"We still have additional ongoing needs and objectives in our pursuit of athletic and academic excellence," Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley said in the release. "And we will continue to count on the loyal and passionate Penn State alumni and fans to help provide our student-athletes the best opportunity to achieve their goals and dreams."
Although the "Success With Honor" campaign is over, plans are already in the works for the next organized fundraiser, entitled "For the Future." While no goals in terms of a dollar amount have been set, Cutler said he hopes the new campaign can be as successful as the past one, which exceeded its $100 million goal by more than $30 million.
Although the next campaign will not officially begin for a couple years, the need remains for funding because of continuously increasing operational costs. Intercollegiate athletic expenses have escalated from $36.8 million in 1997-98 to $78.5 million in 2007-08 -- an increase of 113 percent, according to the release.
Despite the continuing increase in operational costs, Penn State athletics remains a self-sustaining program, not using any tax dollars or tuition funds for support.
"As long as we can make it work and are able to generate the funds," Cutler said, "that's the model the university prefers.
"So far our donors have certainly been up to the task, but it's only going to get tougher as costs keep going up."
