Kent State University raised over $300 million in a record-breaking fundraising campaign. 

In 2021, the university launched Forever Brighter, a fundraising campaign to support student scholarships, university initiatives, capital building projects and global education. 

The goal of their campaign was to raise $350 million, and at the campaign's conclusion in June 2024, they have raised $383 million. Of that, $156.8 million has been earmarked for Prioritizing Student Success, which supports student scholarships and programs. 

Two other campaign priority areas, Expanding University Initiatives and Building the Future, includes projects, programs and initiatives to enhance student experiences and elevate Kent State's reputation as a national leader in student support, athletics, research and innovation. 

Support during the campaign has resulted in the construction of Crawford Hall, a new 150,000-square-foot home for the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship on the Kent State Campus, as well as an expansion to the College of Aeronautics and Engineering building and FedEx Aeronautics Academic Center. 

"As we look toward the future, we celebrate the success of the Forever Brighter campaign and continue our commitment to ensuring access and fostering completion," said Todd Diacon, Kent State's president. "I'm thrilled that we exceeded our $350 million goal. That's going to make a difference, right now and long into the future. We are all deeply grateful to the thousands of donors whose generosity is making the university Forever Brighter."

Students like Ranait McGuire have received scholarship support during their Kent State journeys. McGuire, who graduated from Kent State this past May, was the recipient of a Fashion School Study-Away Scholarship that made her semester in Florence, Italy, possible.

"My Florence experience was more than I ever could have imagined," McGuire said. "I was able to fully immerse myself in the lifestyle and culture, and this will change my life forever. Being able to study fashion in a place where it is so clearly valued was a gift."

Blaine McCurdy, a first-generation college student, was a member of the Kent State Columbiana County Rising Scholars Program from middle school through attaining his psychology degree from Kent State this year. The Rising Scholars Program, one on each Kent State campus, combines mentoring with assistance from local communities and businesses to provide support for young adults beginning in seventh grade.

"I wanted to work with the Rising Scholars Program for as long as I could because it has helped me become the person I am today," McCurdy said. "This program is how I found my love of psychology and helped me choose my major."

Throughout the fundraiser's campaign, Kent State received gifts from 66,310 donors.