Our History

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.