University Advancement honored with GEAC Institutional Excellence Award

December 7, 2015

[caption id="attachment_5152" align="aligncenter" width="608"] Representing University Advancement at the 2015 GEAC Conference were (Back Row, L to R): Wendell Tompkins, Angela Harn, Jodi Collins, Melanie Mosley, Salinda Arthur, Pam Stovall, Alex Washington, Kelly Pope, Ginger Karrh, Chris Osborne and Rachel Miller. (Kneeling L to R): Seth Walker, Christopher Johnston, Ross Davis and Brad Carr.[/caption] The Georgia Education Advancement Council (GEAC) has awarded Georgia Southern’s University Advancement division its Institutional Excellence in Advancement Award for recent achievements. The award is presented to a GEAC-member college or university that has demonstrated outstanding performance and commitment to the field of higher education advancement. The award recipient must have made significant and specific professional contributions that have yielded positive results for their office, institution and field. The Division was selected from among more than 70 statewide member institutions - public and private colleges, universities and technical colleges. Among the highlights cited for the Division were a 143 percent increase in annual donations from FY 2012 to FY 2015. Donations enjoyed a sharp rise from $3,290,951 in FY 2012 to $8,014,604 last year. These figures include planned gifts, outright gifts and pledges. Funds distributed by the Foundation for awards and scholarships nearly doubled - from $750,000 in FY 2012 to more than $1.46 million in FY 2015. The Office of Alumni Relations enjoyed a sharp rise in sponsored events and alumni participation. Last year, 7,323 alumni attended Office-sponsored events compared to 6,534 the previous year. In In FY 15, Alumni Relations hosted a record 186 events vs. 47 in FY 12. Other accomplishments included the addition of a dedicated planned giving officer, a gift officer to boost fundraising in each the University’s colleges, and the addition of two new donor recognition societies.