Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement

¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State Alumnus Antonio Gates Takes First Steps Toward Enshrinement
¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ alumnus Antonio Gates has begun his journey to football immortality, recently visiting the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, to meet with officials and begin preparations for his enshrinement. The former basketball standout at ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State will become just the second Golden Flash to earn a gold jacket, joining linebacker Jack Lambert who was enshrined in 1990.

Silas Ashley ’74
Silas Ashley, ’74, was told by his high school guidance counselor that he “was not college material," but after applying and being accepted to ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State, Silas immersed himself in student life. He was a senator in Undergraduate Student Government and became the president of Black United Students (BUS). Following graduation, Silas earned a master's degree in communications and a Juris Doctorate from Southern University at Baton Rouge and served as the president of ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State's Black Alumni Chapter.

What’s That Statue Near the Esplanade Arch?
A dramatic, 15-foot-tall bronze sculpture stands on the Lefton Esplanade near the intersection of East Main Street and Haymaker Parkway. It’s a gift from a ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State alumnus and outstanding supporter of the university.

John and Fonda Elliot Create New Scholarship Program With $1 Million Gift to ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State
John Elliot, a 1970 ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ graduate, and his wife, Fonda, have created The Elliot Scholars program at ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State with a $1 million donation. This new scholarship program will provide support to first-generation students of any major who require financial support to attend ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State.

John and Fonda Elliot Receive Honorary Degrees for Their Extraordinary Contributions
On Saturday, Dec. 14, both John and Fonda received their Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the healthcare field and to ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State.

¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State’s Giving Tuesday Campaign Raises More Than $4.9 Million for Causes Across Its Eight-Campus System
Members of the ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ community joined together to cause a ripple effect of change reaching far beyond ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State, raising more than $4.9 million to support scholarships and programs across the university for its Giving Tuesday 2024 campaign.

Professor Gives Back By Supporting Students In Need
This Giving Tuesday season, Daniel E. Palmer, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy at ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´, has pledged a matching gift for the Trumbull Campus Last Dollar Scholarship as a symbol of his appreciation for the people who work and study at ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State Trumbull.

¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State Honors 11 Alumni Award Recipients During Homecoming Weekend
Sponsored by the ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State Alumni Association, the Alumni Awards are the university’s most prestigious alumni honors. The 2024 Alumni Award recipients include seven alumni, two recent graduates, one staff member and one current student.

The Dogs Have Their Day on Campus
Each August, ¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State welcomes alumni and their canine companions to campus for one of the most anticipated events of the year, the "Dog Days of Summer."

¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ State Raises $383 Million in Record-Breaking Fundraising Campaign
¾Ã¾ÃÎçÒ¹ÐßÐßÓ°ÔºÃâ·Ñ¹Û¿´ recently concluded its most successful fundraising campaign in its 114-year history. The Forever Brighter campaign ended in June 2024, having raised more than $383.2 million total.