The Bold & Blue campaign expanded SDSU’s culture of giving and will impact generations. The seven-year campaign promoted fundraising initiatives around people, places, traditions and innovations.
Every corner of campus was impacted, reflecting the diverse interests and intentions of donors. Here are some of the highlights.
A New Beginning:
To fulfill President Barry Dunn’s vision for the Wokini Initiative, SDSU opened the American Indian Student Center in 2020. The facility is designed for personal and professional support of Indigenous students.
Serving the underserved: The 12,400-square-foot facility holds space for advising, cultural programming, financial aid guidance, peer mentoring and tutoring.
Why it matters: The center is a home away from home for American Indian students, honoring cultural ceremonies and customs.
Rooted in Opportunity:
The Raven Precision Agriculture Center opened in 2021, providing a hub for the first-in-the-nation precision ag degree. It’s a dynamic intersection of agronomy, engineering and computer science in one groundbreaking program.
Why it’s unique: The center was built for collaboration between students, staff, producers and industry leaders.
Why it matters: The program is transforming agriculture from the ground up.
Everlasting Support:
At the forefront of Bold & Blue was the goal to quadruple the number of commitments for endowed positions to 50.
What are endowments? Gifts that are invested to perpetually fund positions and programs.
How it started: There were 13 endowed positions in 2017.
How far it’s come: There were 58 endowed positions by the end of Bold & Blue, plus one endowed department.
Bright Minds, Bright Futures:
Bold & Blue aimed to bolster scholarships to recruit and retain students.
Why it matters: Academic-based scholarship offerings doubled to $8 million during the campaign.
How it’s helping: Student retention is at an all-time high of 83%.
Ambition Becomes Tradition:
The SDSU Foundation launched One Day for STATE in 2017 to challenge Jackrabbit Nation across the globe to support SDSU during a 24-hour period.
Where it started: The inaugural event raised $298,000 from 1,196 donors.
How far it’s come: It’s grown every year, with 6,474 donors raising $2.8 million in 2023.
New Arena, New Era:
With the largest single gift in university history of $20 million, Frost Arena is being renovated into First Bank & Trust Arena.
A team effort: Diehard Jackrabbits and businesses are supporting the vision of a revitalized modern arena that simultaneously preserves 50 years of Frost Arena memories.
Lifelong memories, unmatched pride: Enhanced fan amenities, updated video and sound, student-athlete lounges and distinct areas for students will be seen when First Bank & Trust Arena opens this fall.
A Health Care Hub:
Avera Health donated a building to give SDSU’s nursing and pharmacy programs a permanent home in the heart of Sioux Falls.
Two programs, one premium facility: The SDSU Metro Center will expand SDSU’s presence in Sioux Falls, featuring classrooms, lab spaces, research environments and simulation equipment to help prepare needed health care workers.
Jackrabbits united: The 44,359-square-foot building brings pharmacy, nursing, respiratory therapy, medical lab science and public health students under one roof.
A Steward of Generosity:
Onida farmer Maynard Klingbeil stunned SDSU with a record-breaking estate gift of 2,683 acres of land in 2020 that yielded more than $17 million at a public auction. His will wasn’t shared until after his passing.
A bountiful harvest: The sale proceeds fueled endowed faculty positions and life-changing $10,000 annual scholarships for students in agriculture.
Trusting the land-grant mission: Klingbeil never attended SDSU nor even set foot on campus. He was very familiar with SDSU research and Extension.
Funding a Lifelong Love:
With an unwavering passion for wrestling, Frank Kurtenbach ’61/MS ’69 went to the mat to champion the Frank J. Kurtenbach Family Wrestling Center.
» Pinning down possibility: The former wrestler and coach provided more than half the funding to build one of the nation’s top wrestling practice facilities.
» The margin of excellence: The nearly 16,000-square-foot facility features practice areas, locker rooms, lounges, a nutrition center and direct access to the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Center.
$500K gift to Hobo Day Legacy Fund:
SDSU’s most famed tradition received its largest philanthropic gift ever. Jim ’72 and Julie Higgins committed $500,000 to an endowment supporting Hobo Day.
» A transcendent tradition: High school sweethearts from Wessington Springs, Jim and Julie went to different colleges — Julie to Augustana, Jim to SDSU, where he played basketball and served as the 1972 Hobo Day chairman. Julie participated in summer parade events with the committee.
» Investing in the future: The goal is to create a $1 million endowment to provide a sustained flow of funding for Hobo Day.
