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Georgia State University has received an $80 million gift from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, which will go toward a major revitalization campaign for the downtown Atlanta campus.
It is the largest gift the 111-year-old institution has ever received, and the largest the foundation—named for a former president of Coca-Cola who became a leading philanthropist in Atlanta—has ever given to any University System of Georgia campus.
The recently approved Building Pathways for Success Initiative includes the construction of some new campus buildings, updates and renovations to others, and the creation of more green spaces, plazas and walkways connecting them.
“This project will breathe new life into our downtown area and into the City of Atlanta,” Atlanta mayor Andrew Dickens said in a news release. “We all want to make sure that downtown is brighter and more inviting. And as an alumnus of Georgia State, I want to see this campus flourish. This is a great way to connect these parks and to make sure that people have an enjoyable experience downtown.”
The University of San Diego, a private, Catholic institution in California, also received the largest pledge in its history last weekend: $75 million from Darlene Marcos Shiley, a philanthropist and chair emerita of USD’s Board of Trustees.
The money is intended to fund STEM initiatives on campus, including expanded offerings in science, technology, engineering and math and the construction of a state-of-the-art STEM facility.
Shiley’s late husband, Donald, was a bio-engineer who co-invented an artificial heart valve in the 1960s.
“STEM fields touch all different aspects of our lives, and I believe they can be a force for good in our society,” Shiley said in a news release. “I was drawn to USD because of its emphasis on a values-based education. This gift fulfills my husband’s and my goals and makes me feel like I’ve made an impact. Now I hope it helps future students take what they learn at USD and make a positive impact of their own.”
