A $3.5 million donation to West Chester University will focus on student needs and student opportunities.  

The gift, from the nonprofit Support Services Inc., is the largest cash donation the university has ever received. 

From it, the Students Services Incorporated Presidential Endowment will be created to fund student scholarships, provide financial aid, and fund academic and co-curricular programs and technology initiatives.

The money was officially presented to the university’s 150Forward fundraising campaign on Tuesday at the Philips Autograph Library. The event included a Gift Agreement Signing and Check Presentation. 

SSI Chairman of the Board of Directors Dr. Bernie Carrozza and SSI Executive Director Donna Snyder signed the gift agreement, then presented the check to WCU President Chris Fiorentino. 

The gift brings the 150Forward campaign total beyond the $50 million mark and closer to its goal of $65 million by June 24, 2024. The campaign coincides with the university’s 150th anniversary this year.

“We are overwhelmed with the generosity of this gift,” said Fiorentino. “SSI has always been there for us, using their resources to help students.”

Student Services is a nonprofit that regulates and monitors West Chester University student activity fees on campus and other student-related finances. It manages the campus bookstore, student publications, student clubs and organizations, and intra-collegiate athletics, among other activities.

Snyder says the group manages the activity fee dollars for about 300 student groups on campus, along with 30 sports clubs.

SSI started in 1986 when West Chester University moved from a college into the state university system. State law required that an independent nonprofit be set up to manage student activity fee funds to make sure the dollars are spent in an appropriate manner, Snyder said.

Over the years, SSI has been able to invest in different business ventures, allowing it to also contribute toward various endowments at the university.

It has contributed to the university’s multicultural center, a swimming pool, the food pantry, and was one of the largest donors toward the campus’s new Science and Engineering Center.

“This just happens to be the largest single check that we’ve ever written,” Snyder said.

The $3.5 million donation came after Fiorentino asked if SSI could make a special gift toward the 150Forward campaign.

“SSI has a long history of being a passionate supporter of West Chester University students,” said Carrozza. “When the request came, the SSI board looked at its investment policy and unanimously decided it could offer up the endowment gift.

“We are honored to be part of this important campaign.”

He pointed out that the 150Forward campaign has nothing earmarked for buildings: “It’s all student-centered, technology improvements, scholarships, and academic co-curricular activity.”

Fiorentino said the campaign outlines three funding objectives:

• Generating scholarship dollars to help students meet the cost of attending college.

“If you look at our tuition and fees in comparison to many other high-quality universities, we are a really good value,” he said. “People still struggle to make ends meet and pay for their education. Helping them out is the No. 1 component of the 150Forward campaign.”

• Funding beyond the classroom. 

“There are many aspects of an education that are not just in the classroom — research projects, internships, international travel.” These experiences can change students’ lives in incredible ways. These funds can help students pay for those experiences.

• Funding technology.

Fiorentino wants to make sure the campus has state-of-the-art technology. Students need those technology skills to compete in the world, he said.

He hopes the generous donation from SSI will spur other individuals and organizations worldwide to contribute to the campaign.

“It’s my hope that this gift will show the world that this is a university worthy of big-time support,” he said.

Find out more about West Chester University.