Southeast Foundation exceeds ambitious fundraising goal

In today's crowded charitable marketplace, it's commendable to hit fundraising goals. When you exceed it by several million dollars? That's truly worth celebrating.

That's what the Southeast Missouri State University Foundation has accomplished.

On June 30, at the end of the foundation's five-year "Honoring Tradition, Inspiring Success" campaign, it reported raising $49.2 million in gifts and pledges -- $9 million more than its ambitious goal.

The money helped establish more than 200 new endowed scholarships and significantly increased 11 existing ones. Eight percent of the total helped fund renovations to Academic and Magill halls, along with the new Catapult Creative Labs business incubator on Broadway in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Since it was announced last fall that it had exceeded its five-year goal, the campaign had raised another $4 million by the end of the campaign in June. When Bill Holland, vice president for university advancement and the foundation's director, delivered the news of the final numbers to a group of alumni, "there was this moment of stunned silence," he said.

The generous momentum has continued beyond a goal met and exceeded last fall.

Clearly, the foundation is effective, and the support from university alumni and friends is robust. The financial support says a great deal about what an asset the university and its foundation are to the local community.

As Holland said in a recent article, "That's the beauty of this. It didn't go to one thing. This is all going out to support students."