Grambling Black & Gold Foundation

Our Legacy Campaign

December 2008

Happy Holidays and Welcome to the Winter 2008-2009 issue of Grambling Black & Gold Foundation Update.

This time of year finds us collectively participating in the season of giving. The holiday season is also a time to be thankful for the many blessings God has bestowed upon us and one reason I'm pleased about this month's Foundation Update. It gives us an opportunity to say "thank you" to those who have selflessly supported the Grambling Black & Gold Foundation and our beloved Grambling State University over the past year.

In December, GSU established a permanent place where donors' generosity will be recognized for posterity's sake. Our new Donor Tree of Knowledge will honor individuals, corporations and foundations that have reached the $10,000 threshold and continue to give to the university.

The golden Donor Tree, located in the foyer of the GSU Assembly Center, has nearly 200 leaves and we expect more to be added over time.

President and Mrs. Horace A. Judson unveiled the tree at the annual GSU Holiday Reception attended by more than 300 people in the Assembly Center. Many of our donors have become annual, loyal contributors to Grambling State University, and President Judson wanted to ensure their names were engraved and visible for all to see on the tree.

While the Donor Tree of Knowledge honors those who have given $10,000 or more, we want you to know the Foundation appreciates gifts of all sizes. We know that donations of $10, $20 or $50 add up to significant sums, and we saw this excellent example of fundraising during the recent presidential campaign.

These are challenging times economically for our country and for the University. However, this past year, GSU continues to make significant strides, both academically and in other areas.

We are proud of our World Famed Band, which has been asked to perform at the 56th Annual Presidential Inaugural. Our GSU Tiger football team capped off another successful season, winning the Bayou Classic against Southern University, the SWAC Championship against Jackson State University and capturing the Sheridan Crown by ranking #1 among Black College Football.
Our faculty continue to produce strong research in a number of exciting areas, from non-traditional treatment of cancer, to employing techniques in the domain of molecular simulation to address electron transport in materials of interest for the U.S. Air Force.
Finally, as I have noted earlier, we are making excellent progress with significant dollars identified and committed over the next two to four years. We want all alumni to participate and celebrate our success at the end of the Comprehensive Capital Campaign, "Our Legacy, Our Place, Our Future" Campaign, which ends in 2012. Your support of the campaign will help us strengthen our endowments and help to improve our campus infrastructure.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of GBGF, thank you for your continued support of GSU and be blessed!