窪蹋勛圖厙 Reaching Upward & Onward With $150 Million Fundraising Campaign
Posted on October 13, 2015

The 窪蹋勛圖厙 today announced the largest fundraising campaign in its history. Upward & Onward is a $150 million comprehensive fundraising campaign that will elevate and accelerate every aspect of 窪蹋勛圖厙's mission education, research, service, health care, economic development, athletics, and the arts and humanities.
The Universitys strategic priorities Student Access and Success, Enhancement of Research and Graduate Education, Global Engagement, Excellence in Health Care, and University-Community Engagement are critically important for our students and the wider community, said Dr. Tony Waldrop, 窪蹋勛圖厙 president. Our best opportunity to achieve the goals within these priorities is to ensure that we have the financial means to do so.
窪蹋勛圖厙s Upward & Onward campaign began two years ago with a quiet phase, and to date $73,129,165 has been raised, representing 20,734 gifts from 15,492 donors. The campaign will conclude in 2020.
The phrase Upward, Onward is found in the lyrics of our alma mater, and it describes todays 窪蹋勛圖厙 perfectly, said Dr. Joseph Busta, vice president for development and alumni relations. Although South Alabama is a relatively young university, we have accomplished much and are always striving to accomplish more. This is what our Upward & Onward campaign is all about.
Dr. and Mrs. Steven H. Stokes are serving as co-chairs of the Upward & Onward campaign. Stokes and his wife, Angelia, are 窪蹋勛圖厙 alumni. She completed her business degree in 1979, and he received his medical degree in 1980. He is a practicing radiation oncologist in the Dothan area and has served on the Universitys Board of Trustees since 1993, including a term as chair pro tempore.
My wife and I have benefited enormously from our 窪蹋勛圖厙 experiences, Dr. Stokes said. The opportunities we had are opportunities that we want others to experience as well.
窪蹋勛圖厙 has given us so much, said Mrs. Stokes. We both are compelled to give back in a way that will encourage others to give, too. The Upward & Onward campaign will enable many more students to experience what we have experienced, which is a life-changing 窪蹋勛圖厙 education.
Businessman and longtime 窪蹋勛圖厙 supporter Abraham Abe Mitchell, whose record $50 million gift in the quiet phase of the campaign led to the creation of the Universitys landmark Mitchell-Moulton Scholarship Initiative, has agreed to serve as the campaigns honorary chairman. Mitchell last year was named an honorary trustee in recognition of his service to the University.
For information on Upward & Onward, visit www.southalabama.edu/campaign, email campaign@southalabama.edu, or call (251) 460-7032.
窪蹋勛圖厙 Upward & Onward: A Campaign for the 窪蹋勛圖厙
Upward & Onward: A Campaign for the 窪蹋勛圖厙 is a $150 million fundraising campaign that will elevate and accelerate every aspect of 窪蹋勛圖厙's mission education, research, service, health care, economic development, athletics, and the arts and humanities. Our aspirations are bold, but they are within our reach. We intend to achieve our broad vision for the future through five focused priorities that form the components of the Upward & Onward campaign: Student Access and Success; Enhancement of Research and Graduate Education; Global Engagement; Excellence in Health Care; and University-Community Engagement.