We are the WSU Foundation, an independent and Shocker-proud organization committed to Wichita State University’s success. Our core values of integrity, teamwork, relationship and service are essential to everything we do. We work with hundreds of donors – alumni, businesses, foundations – who also want Wichita State to be the best it can be. We match their interests and passions with opportunities for support on campus. Our mission is to enhance a community of learning excellence for our students and faculty through philanthropy and stewardship. Because of our generous donors, thousands of WSU students receive scholarships to make their education more affordable. Our faculty receive additional resources to take their work to the next level. New programs are launched to reflect the ever-changing educational landscape. And new facilities are built (or existing ones renovated) to help deliver on Wichita State’s commitment to innovation and excellence. Through the unwavering loyalty of donors like you, the spirit and traditions of Wichita State live on.
$42.71 M
of $ raised
42,951
of students helped
12,593
of donors
Elizabeth King with James Rhatigan
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.
Wichita State University Graduation Ceremony
History of Leaders
– 1965-1980 Richard Reidenbaugh, Executive Vice President Board of Trustees and Executive Secretary of the WSU Endowment Association
– 1981-1990 Robert F. Hartsook, Vice President for Advancement and President & CEO of the WSU Board of Trustees
– 1991-Present Elizabeth King, President & CEO WSU Foundation