03/27/15
The Fort Hays State University Foundation raised the bar for return on investment during its 2014 fiscal year. Not only was their return No. 1 in the state of Kansas, but it was also No. 1 in the MIAA and in the top percentile for the United States.

These numbers are based on recently released rankings from the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), which compare data from 832 U.S. colleges and universities on an annual basis.

The FHSU Foundation ended its year at $64 million in assets, up 19.4 percent from 2013. The Foundation's investment return was 20.5 percent for its fiscal year ended June 30, 2014.

Nine other Kansas schools were included in the study. Of those, Kansas school endowments within the MIAA were Pittsburg State University at 15.8 percent, Washburn University, which finished its year at 15.2 percent, and Emporia State University with an investment return of 14.6 percent, .

Nationally, foundations returned an average of 15.5 percent for the 2014 fiscal year, compared with 11.7 percent for the 2013 fiscal year, according NACUBO.

For FHSU, 2014 was simply a record-breaking year. Between 132 major gifts over $10,000 each, countless smaller gifts and their Power of One Scholarship Campaign, which raised more than $12 million in future support of student scholarships, a great number of Tiger fans whose support and generosity set Fort Hays State above the rest.

As of a result of last year's increase in contributions and the record-breaking investment return, scholarships for the period ending Feb. 28, 2015, totaled in excess of $1.8 million -- an all-time high in the FHSU Foundation's history.

"Through the hard work of our alumni, friends and Foundation Board of Trustee leadership, the impact of both our fund raising efforts and the return on investment will make a huge difference for students and the university as a whole," said Tim Chapman, foundation president and CEO. "We could not be more excited to look to the future and see great things to come."