April 14, 2008

Athletic Scholarship & Fund Drive Hits Another Record Total

     PITTSBURG -- The Pittsburg State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics concluded the formal portion of its 2008 Athletic Scholarship & Fund Drive during a halftime ceremony at the Gorillas’ 2008 Spring Football Game Saturday (Apr. 12).
     While the fundraising drive will informally continue until the start of the 2008-09 fall semester, athletics department staff and volunteers celebrated yet another record-breaking drive.
    As of Monday (Apr. 14), Pittsburg State University has raised $349,977 for its Athletic Scholarship & Fund Drive -- the third straight year the drive has accumulated in excess of $300,000. Last year’s benchmark drive raised a then-record $320,567. This year’s total represents an increase of $29,409 from the 2007-08 drive. Additionally, Pittsburg State University enjoyed a $29,362 increase in one-time donations to the stadium renovation project through the recent sales of “club seats”. New monies raised during the 2008-09 Scholarship & Fund Drive totals an unparalleled $58,771.
    “We appreciate all of the many donors who continue make our Scholarship & Fund Drive a major success,” said PSU athletics director Chuck Broyles. “These monies are crucial to the overall operation of the PSU athletic department and for our 13 intercollegiate sports teams to award deserving student-athletes with athletic scholarships. As costs associated with college athletics continue to rise, growing new money remains vitally important. This certainly has been an outstanding drive with regards to growing new money. Hats off to our tremendous group of volunteers who made this such a successful drive!”
   A pair of two-member teams waged a tight battle for the honor of Most New Money Raised, with the team of Brian Hutchins and Kevin Hamilton scoring a narrow victory over the team of Joe Beitzinger and Johnny Steele. The two teams combined to raise approximately $29,500 in new money.
   Additional Scholarship Drive Volunteer Teams were: Dennis Gatewood and Wayne Gilmore, Brian Jones and Henry Buset, John Levra and Roy Cagle, Mike Carpenter and Charlie Snow, Dave Chiapetti and Bob Stefanoni, April Wilkes and Lacie Anderson, and Jeff Elliott and Brian Sutton.
    Each Spring, the PSU Gorilla Club conducts the community fundraising campaign to support the cost of athletics scholarships and operating expenses at Pittsburg State University. The drive is the central private fundraising framework for PSU’s athletic programs. No tax dollars are spent on intercollegiate athletics scholarships in the state of Kansas. Therefore, private funding serves as the lifeblood for PSU’s continued athletic successes.
    For more information about the 2008 Athletic Scholarship & Fund Drive, contact Bill Kroenke in the PSU Athletic Department as (620) 235-4148.