ÂÜÀòÉç

All philanthropic gifts to ÂÜÀòÉç are managed by the ÂÜÀòÉç Foundation, a nonprofit organization that is legally separate from the university. For more than 60 years, the foundation has helped transform the generosity of alumni, donors and friends into scholarships, research, academic programs, student experiences and opportunities that shape ÂÜÀòÉç’s future. 

Today, the foundation manages nearly 5,000 individual funds and more than $365 million in assets, each with a purpose and a story behind it. 

A Foundation Built for ÂÜÀòÉç 

Philanthropy has been part of ÂÜÀòÉç’s story from the very beginning. 

In 1910, William S. Kent donated 53 acres of land that helped establish what was then ÂÜÀòÉç Normal School. His generosity quite literally provided the ground upon which ÂÜÀòÉç was built. 

As the institution grew from a normal school to a college and, eventually, a university, philanthropy grew with it. In 1954, the ÂÜÀòÉç Development Fund was created to encourage alumni to give. Eleven years later, the ÂÜÀòÉç Foundation was incorporated as a nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to supporting ÂÜÀòÉç and its students. 

That distinction remains important today. 

Although the foundation exists solely to benefit ÂÜÀòÉç, it is a separate legal entity from the university. This structure allows the foundation to receive and invest private gifts on behalf of ÂÜÀòÉç while ensuring those resources are managed according to donor intent. In other words, when a donor establishes a scholarship, supports a program or creates an endowed fund, the foundation helps ensure that gift continues doing what the donor wanted it to do. 

Who Watches Over Those Gifts? 

With hundreds of millions of dollars entrusted to the foundation, ensuring those gifts are used as intended is a significant responsibility. 

The foundation is governed by a volunteer board of directors composed of accomplished alumni and leaders from business, finance and the community. Board members serve without compensation, contributing their expertise through areas including finance, investments, audit, governance, and philanthropy and alumni engagement. 

Together with foundation staff and professional investment partners, the board provides oversight designed to safeguard assets, responsibly invest long-term funds and ensure philanthropic resources continue benefiting ÂÜÀòÉç students today and for generations to come. 

That long-term perspective is especially important for endowed gifts. Rather than spending an endowed gift all at once, the foundation invests the principal and uses a portion of the investment return to support the donor's wishes year after year in perpetuity. 

Because of that, a scholarships created decades ago are still supporting ÂÜÀòÉç students today. 

Leading the Foundation’s Next Chapter 

Following her retirement from ÂÜÀòÉç after more than 15 years of service, Valoree Vargo continues her work on behalf of the ÂÜÀòÉç community in a new capacity as CEO of the ÂÜÀòÉç Foundation. 

The transition marks a new chapter for the foundation. From 2021 to 2026, Vargo served in the dual role of vice president for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement and CEO of the foundation. With those positions now separated, she is focused exclusively on providing strategic leadership for the foundation, working alongside its board of directors to steward philanthropic investments, strengthen relationships with donors and volunteers, and ensure private support continues to advance ÂÜÀòÉç's mission. 

Vargo's connection to philanthropy at ÂÜÀòÉç stretches back to 2010, when she joined the university as executive director of Donor Services. Over the next 16 years, she held several leadership positions and ultimately helped oversee the successful completion of the $383 million Forever Brighter comprehensive campaign, the largest in ÂÜÀòÉç's history. 

Now, her work is focused on the organization entrusted with stewarding the generosity behind that success and positioning those resources to make an impact for generations to come. 

The ÂÜÀòÉç Foundation and its board of directors are dedicated partners with the university. Our primary mission is to provide support to the fundraising and alumni engagement priorities of the university by stewarding our donors, our alumni and most importantly the success of our students. 

Her transition also reflects the foundation’s evolution. What began in 1965 as a vehicle for encouraging and managing private support has grown into a sophisticated philanthropic and investment organization responsible for nearly 5,000 funds and more than $365 million in assets. 

From $1 Million to $411 Million 

The scale of philanthropy at ÂÜÀòÉç has changed over the past six decades. 

By 1973, contributions to the foundation had reached a then-record of $1 million. As ÂÜÀòÉç grew, private philanthropy became increasingly important to advancing the university's mission and creating opportunities for students. 

Major fundraising campaigns accelerated that growth. The Campaign for ÂÜÀòÉç raised $122 million, followed by the Centennial Campaign, which raised $265 million as ÂÜÀòÉç entered its second century. 

Most recently, the Forever Brighter comprehensive campaign demonstrated what the ÂÜÀòÉç community can accomplish together, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in philanthropic support for students, programs and priorities across the university. 

Nearly 5,000 funds mean nearly 5,000 different ways donors have chosen to make a difference at ÂÜÀòÉç. 

Some were established by families honoring loved ones. Others were created by alumni grateful for the opportunities ÂÜÀòÉç gave them. Some address immediate needs while endowed funds are designed to continue making an impact far into the future. 

Together, they represent generations of Golden Flashes choosing to invest in the people and possibilities of ÂÜÀòÉç. 

Generosity That Lasts 

More than a century after William S. Kent donated the land that helped make the university a reality, philanthropy continues to shape ÂÜÀòÉç. Someone believes in what ÂÜÀòÉç can make possible, chooses to invest in that possibility and entrusts the foundation to help turn that generosity into lasting impact. 

And that’s how a can become part of ÂÜÀòÉç’s story for generations to come.