Jeff Jackanicz, Ph.D.
Vice President of University Advancement
It is my privilege to share with you San Francisco State University’s 2023–24 Donor Impact Report, a celebration of the transformative power of philanthropy for our students, faculty, and the broader University community.
This year’s report brings your generosity to life, highlighting how private giving has enriched programs and initiatives across campus. Donor support is fueling the planned renovation of the campus planetarium, sparking curiosity and exploration, while the new Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Distinguished Endowed Chair in Nikkei Studies will advance cultural understanding and academic excellence. Additionally, scholarships and fellowships in a wide array of disciplines are empowering students to pursue their ambitions and make meaningful contributions to their fields.
We also marked the successful completion of our Catalyze the Future fundraising campaign, to raise funds for equipment and instructional use in our new Science & Engineering Innovation Center, a state-of-the-art facility designed to foster discovery, collaboration, and equity in STEM education.
San Francisco State is proud to rank amongst the nation’s leaders in driving social mobility, a recognition of our unwavering commitment to creating pathways to success for students from all backgrounds. It is your belief in our mission that fuels our work, and we remain grateful for it.
On behalf of the entire SF State community, thank you for your generosity and partnership. As the stories in this report reveal, your support leaves a lasting legacy for our students, our campus, and the world beyond.
Warm regards,
Jeff Jackanicz, Ph.D.
Vice President of University Advancement
San Francisco State University
Your Gift Makes Success Possible
Donations to San Francisco State University create a chain reaction of success that reverberates across the community. Each dollar matters here, and together your support of our students, faculty, and programs creates a level of excellence that would not be possible without your investment.
Please continue scrolling down the page to view the impact report.
Supporting Students
Many SF State students need to work at jobs while balancing their course loads. One $1,000 scholarship equals approximately 60 hours at a minimum wage job – enough time for a student to complete the work of one class. Many students report a boost in confidence and a deepened sense of belonging at the University when they are awarded a scholarship.
Total scholarship money awarded = $3.36M
Number of scholarships awarded = 1,442
Number of new scholarships funded = 21
Data reflects fiscal year 2023-24
Alumni Donors
SF State has more than 356,000 alumni, the majority of whom live in the SF Bay Area. The University’s alumni work in every sector – from artists to healthcare providers to fintech executives. They often have a strong drive to help their community and a “giving back” ethic. Last year, 53% of SF State donors were alumni, and many alumni give to the students who come after them in other ways, such as via career support and mentoring.
Alumni donors = 1,687
Total donated by alumni = $4.5M
Data reflects fiscal year 2023-24
Impact of Giving
Number of gifts to SF State = 5,018
Endowment value of San Francisco State University Foundation = $174.85M
Total donated to the University = $21.7M
3,176 total donors
1,055 new donors
Data reflects fiscal year 2023-24
Commencement 2024
Scholarship Awardees Amongst the Outstanding Graduates Honored at 2024 Commencement
Four awardees of donor-funded scholarships were amongst the dozen outstanding graduates honored during SF State's 123rd Commencement ceremony in May 2024. They represented their more than 7,300 graduating peers in the Class of 2024.
As part of a longstanding tradition, each of the University’s six academic colleges selected an undergraduate and a graduate student to represent their classmates and wear their college’s academic hood during the ceremony. Four of the hood recipients were scholarships awardees: Jazz Monique Hudson, Zen Lewis, Su Ilayada Ozcan, and Monique Scott. Click the button below to learn more about each of them.
College of Liberal & Creative Arts
Donor Spotlight | Kenny and Maria Chin: “Forget injuries; never forget kindness.” —Confucius
Kenny Chin (M.A., Political Science, ’78) had always envisioned entering politics once he retired, but, when the time came, he decided to invest in education instead. “The best path forward for me is to help young people, to open curious minds,” says Kenny.
Guided by their shared values of compassion and love, Kenny and his wife Maria have made three major gifts to the College of Liberal & Creative Arts, funding the Chin-Plaisance Colloquium Series as well as scholarships in International Relations and Philosophy.
Dawn-Elissa Fischer | Anthropology Professor Creates Awards in Honor of Scholar and Civil Rights Attorney
With two generous donations to SF State, Anthropology professor Dawn-Elissa Fischer, Ph.D., has established the Marcyliena Morgan Scholarship and the Walter P. Riley Radical Change Scholarship.
Professor Fischer created the awards to respectively honor Morgan, a Harvard University professor and renowned scholar of hip-hop, and Riley, an Oakland civil rights attorney and activist. With both awards, SF State students will gain opportunities to meet mentors, join professional networks and establish their own.
College of Ethnic Studies
Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation Awards $4.2M in Landmark Gift
San Francisco State University received a $4.2 million gift from the Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation, $4M of which is an endowed gift to establish the Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Distinguished Chair in Nikkei Studies.
This faculty position is the first endowed chair in the University’s College of Ethnic Studies. It is also the first in the Asian American Studies department, which is the oldest and largest in the country and is at the forefront of curriculum development used by schools and universities nationwide.
Lam Family College of Business
Donor Spotlight | Jeff Franco: From Unprepared Undergrad to Advocate for Diversity in Accounting
After graduating from SF State with an Accounting degree, Jeff Franco (B.S., ’83) worked for many years as the lead recruiter for the tax department of the San Francisco office of Ernst & Young, where he noticed a lack of diversity among the applicants he interviewed. When he retired, Jeff wanted to help address this lack of diversity in the accounting field, so he established the Franco Family Accounting Scholarship for economically disadvantaged accounting students at SF State who have demonstrated a commitment to enhancing diversity.
VIDEO | Student Spotlight | Alfred Ceballos
Learning has been a passion for Alfred Ceballos ever since he was a child in East Los Angeles, but he had to work through many challenges before enrolling as an undergraduate in the Lam Family College of Business. In this moving two-minute video, he tells his story and discusses the huge impact that scholarships have had on his journey as a first-generation college student.
College of Science & Engineering
Science & Engineering Innovation Center (SEIC) & Catalyze the Future Campaign
The University’s Catalyze the Future campaign successfully raised $25 million for technology and instructional resources for the new Science & Engineering Innovation Center. This funding from alumni, friends, and science and engineering companies will significantly increase the already formidable career achievements of our STEM graduates and further strengthen SF State's record of contributing to a skilled and diverse regional workforce pipeline for the Bay Area’s bioscience and tech industries.
Heising-Simons Foundation Awards $1.5M to Renovate and Upgrade Campus Planetarium
After 50 years of training future science educators and aspiring stargazers, the Charles F. Hagar Planetarium will receive a major modernization thanks to a $1.5M grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation. “This planetarium has inspired so many young people to look up, to ask questions, and to pursue their dreams,” says Planetarium Director Adrienne Cool. “With this donation, whole new vistas will open up."
Bristol Myers Squibb Supports Diversity in Sciences at the College of Science & Engineering
Through its corporate giving program, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) funds the BE-STEM scholarship program at SF State, fostering the next generation of STEM researchers. The grants are awarded to students who participate in the College of Science & Engineering's Black Excellence in STEM (BE-STEM) club and conduct research in a lab.
Donor Spotlight | The Haferniks and the Ripleys Honor the Inclusivity and Excellence of the Biology Department
John Hafernik, Jr., Ph.D., an emeritus professor of Biology who taught at SF State for 40 years, and his wife Johnnie Hafernik, Ed.D., generously endowed a scholarship fund for graduate students in the Department of Biology.
Alumni Doug Ripley (B.A., ’67; M.A., ’69) and Arlene Ripley (B.A., ’69) also became legacy donors, establishing an endowment in the department. The Ripleys' current donations are earmarked to projects that the department would not be able to fund otherwise.
Read about the commitment of both couples to this unusual department that combines community-building, diversity, and academic excellence to educate students.
Student Spotlight | Rising Star: Student Researcher Berenice Baca Achieves Firsts in Sea Star Research
With faculty support, scholarship award-winning student Berenice Baca (B.S., Biology, ’23) expanded her undergrad class project into a graduate research project, achieving the seemingly impossible feat of raising the six-rayed sea star Leptasterias specimens for an entire year.
Berenice and biology professor Sarah Cohen's lab even worked with KQED to feature Leptasterias in a new episode of its science video series “Deep Look,” presented by PBS Digital Studios. (Click over to the article to see the video, which has nearly a quarter-million views on YouTube.)
Gator Athletics
Donor Spotlight | From Mat to Mission: Keith Spataro’s Journey of Impact
SF State alum Keith Spataro (B.A., Kinesiology/Physical Education, ’95) carries his Gator pride with him every day. Keith has devoted his career to higher education, building programs, and helping students achieve their potential. His journey is deeply intertwined with his time as a student-athlete at SF State, where he discovered the determination and community spirit that continue to inspire his philanthropy today as a donor to the Spataro Alumni Wrestling Scholarship.
Graduate College of Education
Student Spotlight | Investing in the Future: The Transformative Role of Scholarship Donors in Marci Lapriore’s Journey
Marci Lapriore, a graduate student in the Educational Leadership doctoral program at SFSU’s Graduate College of Education and a community college educator herself, grew up in a community where poverty was the common thread and the prospect of higher education seemed daunting. She paid for her bachelor's and master's degrees with credit cards and student loans, not knowing what scholarships were.
Marci has been the recipient of donor-funded scholarships while pursuing her doctorate, and says SF State's donors “feel like extended family.”
College of Health & Social Sciences
Becton, Dickinson and Co. (BD) Funds Nursing Fellowship
Last year, 20 graduate students — including Liliana Ascencio, pictured at left — learned they were each to be awarded a $2,500 fellowship funded by Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), a supplier of medical products, capabilities, and solutions. Graduate students are often ineligible for certain types of financial aid and have additional costs like parking and equipment needed for clinical internships, which makes this fellowship vitally important. The fellowship fund is the first gift of its kind made by BD to the University.
Student Spotlight | Juan Carlos Arredondo Earns Top CSU Award, Says “Education Radically Transformed” His Life
Despite lifelong challenges, Juan Carlos Arredondo (B.A.. ’24) earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from SF State last spring, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. He returned to SF State in fall 2024 to pursue a master’s degree in Social Work, to advance his career in supporting migrant communities. On top of that, he earned one of the most prestigious student accolades: the California State University (CSU) awarded Arredondo the Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement, the highest recognition of student achievement granted by the CSU. Arredondo also won the highly competitive Willie L. Brown , Jr. Fellowship, which landed him an internship with San Francisco’s Human Services Agency.
Alum Spotlight | The Power of Support: Megan Rogers’ Story of Resilience
When Megan Rogers (B.S., Public Health, ’24) walked across the stage to receive her degree from SF State, it symbolized resilience, transformation, and the impact of community. A fourth-generation San Franciscan, Megan’s path to SF State was anything but straightforward. When she returned to college decades after initially withdrawing from a UC, Megan discovered a vibrant and supportive community at SF State — a “sanctuary,” she recalls.
Scholarships played a pivotal role in Megan’s ability to thrive at SF State, where she picked up a Studio Art minor, participated in a pilot Art Handling program, and drafted legislative policy.
Student Affairs & Enrollment Management
Donor Spotlight | San Francisco Soul Sisters: Leslie Hughes and Karla Yates Reyff
Leslie Hughes (B.A., ’66; Credential, ’67), and Karla Yates Reyff (B.A., ’76; M.A., ’81) became fast friends decades ago in kindergarten. Both SF State alumni, they have inspired each other to become devoted donors to the University, especially to the Guardian Scholars Program (GSP), which supports former and current foster kids in their educational journeys at the University. Learn more about their dedication to their alma mater and to each other.
Donor Spotlight | Michael Bien: Project Rebound Receives Major Gift from Civil Rights Lawyer
In a tribute to his late wife Jane E. Kahn, Michel Bien recently donated a major gift to support formerly incarcerated graduate students in SF State’s Project Rebound program. “Jane believed that we need to allow people to bring their best self forward, to give them an opportunity to rejoin society in a meaningful way,” says Michael. “Project Rebound connects to individual human beings in a way that makes a difference in their lives.”
Donor Spotlight | Katherine and Gaylen Eslinger Endow a Scholarship for Metro College Success Students
While alumna Katherine Eslinger (B.A., ’84) was raised to value education, getting one did not always come easy for her or her family. Now retired, she and her husband Gaylen have honored Katherine's journey and family through a planned gift to endow the George & Helen Kallianis Memorial Scholarship, which awards an annual scholarship to a Metro student. Metro supports first-generation, low-income, and/or historically underrepresented students.
Other University Advancement Initiatives
San Francisco Foundation Announces Scholarship Program for Black Students at SF State
The San Francisco Foundation (SFF) has announced a new scholarship program for San Francisco State University students who identify as Black and demonstrate financial need. The San Francisco Foundation Black Excellence Scholarship for SF State will offer $2,500 scholarships to 35 SF State students each year.
“SF State students are a vibrant part of the Bay Area community,” said Fred Blackwell, CEO of the San Francisco Foundation. “By creating this scholarship program, we are helping to ensure that all SF State students have a fair chance to complete their studies and contribute their talents to an inclusive, thriving Bay Area.”
SF State Eligible for Cy Pres Awards
Cy pres awards are funds generated by a class action lawsuit that cannot be awarded or are unclaimed. Courts can designate a nonprofit as the recipient of these funds, as long as the nonprofit’s mission furthers the purposes of the underlying causes of action, or promotes justice for all citizens and/or consumers in the State of California. With a focus on academic excellence, community service, and equity and inclusion, San Francisco State University has many programs that would qualify for cy pres awards.
