The Friday evening soiree on March 15, the 41st Annual Presidential Gala at West Chester University, was an elegant, black-tie optional affair with dancing and “starry night” surroundings transforming its student dining area in the Sciences & Engineering Center and The Commons.

The newest building on campus featured an 8k video wall presentation by Professor of Astronomy Marc Gagné and The Sandra F. Pritchard Mather Planetarium. NASA images, footage from the Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes, the Mars rovers, and planet flyby missions were among the spectacular images featured.

Nearly 300 generous donors, alumni, faculty, – and staff mingled at the presidential gala.

And everyone attending was there for one reason: to help the university’s students.

The Gala, held at Longwood Gardens for the past few years, came back to campus this year. –

The move highlighted the new building, but also honored outgoing university president Dr. Chris Fiorentino, who is retiring in June.

At the request of President Fiorentino, all of the ticket sales for this year’s Gala supported the Fund to Finish, an emergency scholarship program that to date has helped 170 students finish their education at West Chester University.

The highlight of the presidential gala was a 150Forward campaign announcement that a fundraising goal of $65 million had been exceeded by $4 million, with three months still to go in the campaign.

The multi-year 150Forward campaign, named in celebration of West Chester University’s 150-year history, is the University’s largest initiative in its history. Different than a traditional capital campaign focused on buildings, 150Forward puts funding directly in the hands of students through scholarships, new programs and technological advancements at the University.

“Your contributions have laid the foundation for academic achievement, technological advancement and experiential learning that reaches far beyond the classroom,” said President Fiorentino, speaking at the Gala. “This support has been a testament to your commitment to our students’ success.”

The three largest contributions to the campaign came from:

• Student Services, Incorporated (SSI), a not-for-profit organization designed to serve the students of West Chester University, and which donated $3.5 million

• Dr. James R. Wells ’54 and Mr. Richard G. Wells ’58, namesakes of the WCU Wells School of Music who donated $3 million

• Marc Duey, Founder, President, and CEO of ProMetrics and an adjunct professor at the University teaching in the Marketing Department and the Pharmaceutical Product Development Program who, in association with the Duey family, donated $1 million

“Your support is shaping the future of West Chester University. I am very excited to see what happens next,” Fiorentino told guests.

Fundraising at West Chester University is personal for many, with donations often coming from those who were once students themselves, as well as faculty, staff, local businesses and even area residents.

“We raise funds for the needs of students on behalf of the University,” said Deb Cornelius, executive director of the WCU Foundation, herself a 1991 alumna.

That can mean providing a place at the University to stay in the summer if students have no home to go to, or a small scholarship for a student who is close to graduating but an emergency suddenly found them without funds to continue.

Keith Beale, a Foundation board member currently serving as treasurer, said the Foundation provides flexibility for the University and serves as its fundraising arm. and his wife Nancy, both former music majors at West Chester, set up six music scholarships themselves, using endowments to fund scholarships in voice, piano and choral conducting. On Jan. 1, the Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band performed in the 135^th Rose Parade, a trip made possible through the coordinated fundraising efforts of the Foundation.

Cornelius said there’s been “an amazing uptick in donations in the last couple of years,” largely due to the University’s increasingly good reputation.

“People feel like it’s a good cause to get behind,” she said.

Beale agreed.

“We’re the only state University that’s growing right now and has a waiting list,” he said.

For many donors, programs like the Fund to Finish personally connect them to current students.

Jacqui North, an alumna of the university’s School of Business, joined the Foundation board last fall. She co-chairs an advisory board for WCU’s College of Business & Public Management that helps current students get internships and co-ops for real world experience and is one of three 150Forward Campaign co-chairs.

As a contributor to the Fund to Finish and student scholarships, she has also discovered that even one individual can make a big difference.

North remembers the challenges she faced as a first-generation college student and wanted to help other first-generation students.

“I heard a story about a student in their senior year who hadn’t returned a library book and had a $75 fine, and they couldn’t pay it so they thought they wouldn’t be able to graduate.”

Those kinds of stories encouraged North to create an endowed scholarship for first-generation School of Business students.

“It’s not a lot of money but it’s enough to help those students who may just need a little bit to get over the finish line.”

Jasmine Seals, a 25-year-old West Chester University senior studying early childhood education, with minors in literacy and sociology, spoke at the presidential gala about the impact that a generous scholarship can make on a student’s life..

Thanks to the 150Forward Campaign, she is now finishing her bachelor’s degree and intends to pursue a master’s degree and a doctorate.

Seals is working a full-time job and a part time job while studying at West Chester University. In addition to paying bills, she’s covering student loans, dealing with car repairs, and paying for gas on a 59-mile one-way commute to campus.

“I was stressed, scared and worried about paying my tuition to get me through my senior year,” she shared at the Gala. “Then I got an email saying I received a very generous scholarship that would allow me to finish my final semester.

“Like butter on fresh hot pancakes, my worries melted away.”

“Thank you for your generosity and for the greatest feeling I’ve ever had.”

Find out more about how you can make a difference at West Chester University