TSU tops scholarship goal
By Gwendolyn Young
Diversity Institute Fellow
10.29.02
Tennessee State University exceeded its fundraising goal at an annual scholarship dinner held Thursday night largely because of a significant contribution from a local corporation, officials said.
Representatives from Aramark Corp. were among about 800 individuals attending the 22nd annual TSU Foundation Dinner at Opryland Hotel. The company, which provides managed services such as food, uniform and childcare for various industries, gave the university $250,000 toward its target of $500,000. In the end, more than $700,000 was raised, making the event the most successful to date.
University officials said the boost couldn’t have come at a better time. The state’s budget crunch and the overall challenges presented by a declining economy make providing scholarships essential if the university is going compete for top students.
It’s also a sign, officials said, that TSU is making progress in plans to broaden its appeal.
“Our vision is to attract dollars from a wider segment of the Nashville community,” said Gerald Washington, vice president of university relations. “We re turning the curve away from the dinner as one-stop shopping for fundraising.”
Since its inception in 1980, the foundation dinner has amassed about $6 million in aid, allowing TSU to award about 300 scholarships.
Washington said developing partnerships with organizations throughout the community is becoming even more critical in providing students educational opportunities.
“Everything we do must be for the students,” he said. “At the end of the day, I ask myself, 'Have I served them well?'”
Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell was honored at the dinner “as a friend of higher education,” who significantly contributed to the success of the fundraiser. Scholarship recipients were also honored at the event.
Washington said that university officials hope the gift from Aramark is a sign of things to come. Recently, individual corporate donations have been down, he said, so the foundation had to cast a wider net in order to attract dollars to the scholarship fund.
TSU also is developing a strategy to broaden its fundraising capacity by attracting more donors for various other projects, including its first capital campaign, Washington said.
“We have to do this for ourselves,” he said, “and we must convince the larger community we’re worth it.”