About Us | WSUFAE

Who we are

Our mission is to elevate, celebrate and advance Wichita State University through engagement and philanthropy. We do this by living our core values of integrity, collaboration, excellence and service in all our interactions with Shocker Nation.

Our History

Established in 1913, the WSU Alumni Association coalesced around a dedicated group of alumni led by Harry Shuler for the purpose of creating a Shocker community of university supporters. In tandem, the WSU Foundation, which was founded in 1965, has championed private support to advance the mission and vision of the university. With a combined 168 years of experience, the two organizations united in 2022 to create a single alumni-and-donor serving organization optimizing support of Shocker Nation through combined philanthropy and alumni engagement efforts.

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Shocker Connect

Since 1895, our university has been educating some of the best and brightest in Kansas. Check out our blog to see how alumni, donors and friends have made that possible through the years.

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Give Now

Your support of Wichita State University puts dreams within reach for our students. Find the area of giving that connects your passions with Shocker Nation.

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Careers

Our work helps Wichita State succeed, whether through creating connections or building legacies. View available positions to join our team.

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Endowment & Giving

$63.12M

Raised in Gifts & Pledges

$32.23M

FY22 Endowed Funds and current gifts to support people, places and programs

2,436

Students Received Scholarship

Leadership team

Jacque and Sam Kouri with Elizabeth King WSU Foundation President and CEO

Elizabeth King, President and CEO

Gus Campuzano with WSU Foundation's Vice President Darin Kater and WSU student Guerrero Lopez

Darin Kater, Vice President

WSU Vice President Mike Lamb visits with donors

Mike Lamb, Vice President

Susan Barrett, Vice President of Finance

Jacque and Sam Kouri with Elizabeth King WSU Foundation President and CEO

Elizabeth King, President and CEO

Gus Campuzano with WSU Foundation's Vice President Darin Kater and WSU student Guerrero Lopez

Darin Kater, Vice President

WSU Vice President Mike Lamb visits with donors

Mike Lamb, Vice President

Susan Barrett

Susan Barrett, Vice President of Finance

Susan Barrett

Stacie Williamson, Vice President of Alumni Engagement

Building a bright future

First we were the WSU Endowment Association, founded in 1965 – one year after Wichita State entered the Kansas Regents system as a state university. Our leaders then, along with prominent alumni and community members, knew it would take private support to give Wichita State a margin of excellence – a level of achievement public funding alone can’t produce.

The first officers presiding over the association were Dwane L. Wallace, president; Olive W. Garvey, first vice president; Woodrow M. Champion, second vice president; Carl K. Suderman, third vice president; Gordon W. Evans, secretary; and Arthur W. Kincade, treasurer.

These leaders gave the new nonprofit organization three primary duties: support the university, manage the association’s financial affairs effectively and honor agreements made with donors. Records show we had assets of $1.8 million in 1973. This amount has grown to $368.8 million today.

In 2000, we changed our name to the WSU Foundation to better reflect our role – identifying, cultivating and soliciting private and corporate support to advance Wichita State’s mission. For more than five decades, we have done just that, helping to build a prestigious and progressive university with a bright future.