Generosity is creating energy as friends of Fresno Pacific University have met and surpassed a $1.5 million matching gift.
The goal was to raise $3 million through the gift from longtime supporters Dr. Al and Dotty Warkentine. Adding to the challenge was the timeframe—March 20 to June 30, 2024.
The calendar proved no obstacle at all to faculty, staff, administrators, donors and Advancement Office staff, as the $1.5M match was met and surpassed. By July 1, $3,434,222 had been collected.
Al Warkentine says he and Dotty hope this success invigorates everyone at FPU. “I hope it energizes our base: the staff, faculty and, of course, the alumni,” he said.
An effort like this also shows students just how many people are looking out for them. “It should be tremendously energizing to the students to realize there are people out there who are avid supporters of the university, as Dotty and I have been. I hope this makes them realize that their education is important,” Warkentine said.
While the money will go to the general fund, the goal is to use it in ways, such as scholarships, that directly impact those very students. “We are beyond excited at this wonderful response. We feel we’ve just begun to fly—this gift helps us soar,” said Liz Garvin, vice president for advancement and executive director of the FPU Foundation.
“I thank God for the Warkentines and am truly humbled at this unselfish outpouring by those who support our mission to develop students for leadership and service through excellence in Christian higher education. As much as we love our students, its obvious others do as well,” said FPU President André Stephens, Ph.D.
The matching gift was only the latest example of the Warkentine’s decades of support for Fresno Pacific, including the major donation for the Warkentine Culture and Arts Center. A retired dentist and avid investor, Al was a member of the school’s first board of trustees, from 1971-85. Dotty is a retired professional harpist who has taught students and played in many FPU ensembles as part of her career.
The Warkentines call FPU their mission field. “People’s lives are changed,” Al said. “I talked to one faculty member recently that said the wonderful thing about teaching at Fresno Pacific is the family feeling they had with the faculty and staff. That’s important.”
Any gift—excluding capital and endowment donations—qualified for the match. Contributions are still welcome online at fpu.edu/give. All donations go far toward changing the lives of the nearly 3,000 FPU students earning their bachelor’s, master’s and seminary degrees at campuses in Fresno, Visalia, Merced and Bakersfield as well as online.
PHOTO: Students hold numbers representing the total raised by supporters of Fresno Pacific University through a $1.5M matching gift from longtime friends Al and Dotty Warkentine. (FPU photo)