MSU sets fundraising record

At it stares down a multiyear capital campaign goal, the Missouri State University Foundation set a fundraising record in fiscal 2021.

During the year ending June 30, the university's fundraising arm brought in more than $25.8 million, according to a news release. That's up by $3.1 million from the previous record set in fiscal 2020.

“It’s amazing but not surprising that we set this record during the pandemic,” MSU President Clif Smart said in the release. “Our folks always come through when our students need them the most.”

The MSU Foundation accepted gifts from 19,120 donors during the recently concluded fiscal year. A recent donation announced last month came from former state legislator Jay Wasson, whose naming-level gift created the Wasson Idea Loft on the recently renovated third floor of the Efactory's home, the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center. The MSU Foundation also accepted naming-level donations from Jordan Valley Innovation Center tenant Brewer Science Inc. and actor John Goodman, according to past reporting.

Goodman visited the MSU campus in October 2019 to help the university launch its $250 million Onward Upward campaign. University officials previously pointed to a 2022 goal for completing the campaign.

The campaign, to date, has raised $230 million, according to the release.