OCU University | Your Impact

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Your Impact

Thank you for giving to OCU University!

Your philanthropy helps provide an outstanding education with close faculty interaction, small class sizes, extensive student involvement opportunities, service-learning in the community, and more.

Our academic programs are highly accredited and renowned for their accomplished graduates.


β€œBecause of donor generosity, I am able to pursue my dream of higher education with less financial stress.”

β€œ(You) have deeply impacted my story and many other students.”

β€œ(Donors are) the reason I am able to attend college debt-free.”
 

Donor Impact, 2023-24

Thank you for making this past year a great success! As President Kenneth Evans completes his third year of leadership at ΠίΠίΚΣΖ΅, the university celebrates three years of fundraising that have each topped $10 million. Donors gave $13.17 million to ΠίΠίΚΣΖ΅ over the past year! Additionally, more than 2,730 individuals made a philanthropic giftβ€”another banner year for donor participation. That’s because of generous supporters like you. 

Your gifts are criticalβ€”law clinics, health simulation training, student competition travel, guest educators, support for scientific research, and specialized classroom technology all depend on donated funds. Students graduate well prepared for their careers because of the hands-on experiential learning that ΠίΠίΚΣΖ΅ provides. Thank you for helping students succeed.

ΠίΠίΚΣơ’s headline fundraising event, #TrueBlueΠίΠίΚΣΖ΅ Giving Day, broke records yet again, raising nearly half a million dollars from 1,211 donors in 2024. At the university level, donations to the ΠίΠίΚΣΖ΅ Fund provided an entire computer lab for computer science and game design and animation programs this year, in addition to important upgrades to our residence halls and cafeteria.

Ask ΠίΠίΚΣơ’s leaders about donor support, and they’ll list countless ways donations benefit students.

β€œThe impact of donor support cannot be overstated,” said School of Theatre Associate Dean W. Jerome Stevenson. β€œStudents at ΠίΠίΚΣΖ΅ are provided with opportunities that simply would not be possible without the generous support of philanthropic organizations and individual donors.”

This year, donors provided:

  • Costumes for the 130-person Star Dance Company for the Holiday Spectacular, replacing costumes that were more than two decades old. Because of the size of the company, an update to the finale was cost-prohibitive without a donation. The new finale had rave reviews.
  • Sound design software for arts management students to use for Star Dance Company productions, preparing them for jobs on the technical side of the entertainment industry
  • A digital camera for the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Entertainment to market shows, recruit students with engaging photos and videos, and train students on the latest equipment, preparing them for all aspects of the entertainment industry
  • Professional development to keep professors on the cutting edge of the industry while also connecting with prospective students and the dance community 

 

This year, donations to the College of Health Professions have purchased dozens of pieces of equipmentβ€”a knee injection model, an ear exam simulator, and moreβ€”that each help students practice skills repeatedly on models so they’re ready to treat people. 

β€œSimulation gives the students the opportunity to practice a scenario or a skill in a safe environment where they can do things they might not get to do in an actual clinical site,” said Dean Gina Crawford. Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, and nursing students all collaborate in the simulation lab to address a variety of health scenarios.

This year, donors provided:

  • A two-day study tour with all expenses paid for more than 24 students to visit multiple financial companies in Dallas
  • Travel expenses for the ethics team and data analytics team to compete in regional and national competitions
  • Sponsorship for students to visit remote parts of Alaska and help residents file income taxes through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program

This year, donors provided:

  • Film equipment to allow students to learn current technology and realize their creative visions
  • Rings and a celebration for the esports Overwatch 2 team that won the NECC Navigators National Championship
  • Support for psychology, biology, and English students and the speech and debate team to travel to regional and national conferences and competitions, resulting in a slew of presentations and wins
  • Funding for national and local artists to exhibit in the Nona Jean Hulsey Art Gallery on campus

This year, donors provided:

  • Competition travel for moot court teams, providing students with practical experience
  • Support for students’ bar exam preparation
  • Scholarships
  • A range of clinics, including the Innocence Project, a business startup clinic, and more. β€œIt’s great for the students because they’re getting real-world experience, but it’s also impacting the real world,” said Dean David Holt. β€œThe eviction clinic has broad reach and is preventing hundreds of people every year from getting evicted. The American Indian Wills Clinic has helped well over 1,000 tribal members across the state.”

 

This year, donors provided:

  • Masterclasses with luminaries including Native American storyteller Mike Pasetopah, stage director and executive director of the Susan Smith Blackburn prize Leslie Swackhammer, playwright Matt Cox (β€œPuffs”), and LA talent agent Craig Holzberg
  • Travel to China for eight students to represent the U.S. at the World Theatre Education Alliance. Dean Mark Parker said this partnership redefines theater for students. β€œEvery student describes it as life-changing. They perform for other countries and see theatre from a perspective they never imagined.” 

This year, donors provided:

  • Funding for dozens of masterclasses with guest artists, giving students the chance to learn from industry greats 
  • Emergency scholarships for students in need
  • Flexibility for the school to take advantage of unplanned opportunities, such as a prestigious invitation to a national flute conventionFunding for dozens of masterclasses with guest artists, giving students the chance to learn from industry greats 
  • Emergency scholarships for students in need
  • Flexibility for the school to take advantage of unplanned opportunities, such as a prestigious invitation to a national flute convention

Annual Reports

Read ΠίΠίΚΣΖ΅'s current and historical endowment and annual reports, highlighting the financial performance of our endowment, profiling donors, and more.

Stewardship

We take seriously the trust you place in us to steward your donations and to put them to work to best benefit students. The ΠίΠίΚΣΖ΅ Board of Trustees maintains standing committees on finance, investment, audit, and resource development, and the university's finances are audited by external certified public accountants annually. Every day, ΠίΠίΚΣΖ΅ employees are committed to maximizing the impact of your gifts. Thank you for your generosity!

Why I Give

Ron Norick

β€œWhen I enrolled at ΠίΠίΚΣΖ΅ in 1960, my educational skills were less than average, and if I was going to be successful, I would need guidance. That help came to me through Dean Willis Wheat, the Business School dean. He not only mentored me, but he cared about me as a person. I graduated in 1964 from the Business School, making the dean’s honor roll, which in 1960 would have seemed impossible. Because of his kindness, Dean Wheat and I became lifelong friends, talking often until his passing. The small class sizes and the individual attention given to not only me but to all students by the professors is ΠίΠίΚΣơ’s strongest asset.

β€œMy mother and grandmother were both artists and appreciated the professors for their skills but realized the art school at ΠίΠίΚΣΖ΅ needed to be replaced for the benefit of the staff and students. Because of their love for the graphic arts, that’s the reason the Norick family has always supported ΠίΠίΚΣơ’s art school.”

Adam Ryburn

β€œI give to help defray the costs for students. I’m a first-generation college student. I know it’s harder nowadays to get financial aid from the federal government. We’ll get students we’re trying to recruit who don’t have the means themselves, and without scholarships, it’s tough to get them to come here. If we had more in our scholarship fundβ€”if we could give out a lot moreβ€”we could guarantee students would be here. That's why I give.”

A fixture at nearly every ΠίΠίΚΣΖ΅ game, match, or meet, Paul and Kim Sanders love seeingβ€”and hearing fromβ€”the student-athletes they support. Each varsity team benefits from the Sanders’ annual financial contributions, but they also serve as ΠίΠίΚΣơ’s biggest fans. The small-school setting and rich athletic tradition are a perfect mixture of personal connections and shared celebrations. β€œWe enjoy providing support, not only through our donations, but also just being at their events,” said Kim, a 1969 School of Business graduate. β€œPaul especially enjoys visiting with them, and we always feel closer reading so many wonderful notes of thanks and the in-person thanks we get.”

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