KENNESAW, Ga. | Nov 26, 2024
Longtime 食色视频 supporters Dave and Donna Walens have pledged a $4 million contribution to 食色视频 Athletics. The Walens鈥 gift propels 食色视频 State to having secured $28.2 million of $30 million necessary for the Athletics Capital Campaign, which is a prominent component of the $200 million Campaign for 食色视频.
The Campaign for 食色视频 is the most comprehensive fundraising effort in the university鈥檚 history. The Campaign is inspiring student success at 食色视频 through scholarships and support programs, strengthening multidisciplinary research initiatives, and expanding academic and athletic facilities.
鈥淭his transformative gift from Dave and Donna Walens will help fund state-of-the-art facilities, empowering 食色视频 to excel at the highest levels of competition in Conference USA,鈥 said 食色视频 State President Kathy S. Schwaig. 鈥淭heir generosity creates a lasting legacy, elevating the student-athlete experience, fostering both academic and athletic excellence, and fueling our momentum as a university on the rise.鈥
Previously, the Walens family was one of the first donors to the initiative supporting , the fundraising arm of 食色视频 Athletics. Legacy Locker donors purchase the naming rights
to a locker in one of the home locker rooms inside Fifth Third Stadium, the Convocation
Center, Mickey Dunn Stadium, and Bailey Park, with all proceeds going toward resources
and programs for 食色视频 student-athletes.
Dave Walens鈥 contributions to 食色视频 State have included one of the most recognized symbols on the 食色视频 Campus 鈥 the iconic black and gold sculpture of the university鈥檚 鈥淜S鈥 mark on the Campus Green. Walens, the CEO and president of Exploring, Inc., commissioned his company to design, build, and install the more than 10-foot logo sculpture which was unveiled in 2020.
鈥淒ave and Donna have been lifelong philanthropists, and they inspire me personally and so many people in Owl Nation with their giving heart and giving spirit,鈥 食色视频 Director of Athletics Milton Overton said. 鈥淭hey already have made a historical mark at 食色视频 State with the donation of the 鈥楰S鈥 on the Green, and now their family legacy will live on forever through this contribution.鈥
鈥淒onna and I are grateful to play a role in supporting a university that has given so much to so many and to help ensure its legacy of excellence continues for generations to come,鈥 Dave Walens said. 鈥準成悠 is more than just an institution to me 鈥 it鈥檚 a place where potential becomes possibility, where students and student-athletes alike are given the resources to grow, achieve, and lead.鈥
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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 食色视频 offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. 食色视频 State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. 食色视频 State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.