Chapman University unveils five-year plan, $500 million fundraiser – Orange County Register

Daniele C. Struppa, president of Chapman University, during an annual state of the university address, outlined a five-year strategic plan to position the 160-year-old university as “one of the great universities of the United States.”

“I think Chapman is at the point where we can really expect to be one of the great universities in the country,” Struppa said Friday, Feb. 10, while delivering the address at the university’s Musco Center for the Arts held.

The plan, titled “Our Path to Greatness,” aims to invest resources in five key areas: academic excellence, expanding graduate programs in health and science, academic excellence, organizational excellence, and campus projects.

On Saturday, the university launched a five-year, $500 million fundraising campaign with a longer-term goal of $2 billion by 2037.

The first major gift for the campaign was announced at the Chapman Celebrates gala on Saturday – a $5 million gift from Jim and Kay Burra that will help establish the Burra School of Accounting and Finance within the Argyros School of Business and Economics will contribute.

The Burras previously established an endowed professorship, and Jim Burra served on Chapman’s Board of Governors and Board of Trustees.

“Our donors are central to our progress as a business school,” said Henrik Cronqvist, Dean of Argyros School of Business and Economics. “Your support enables us to develop new and innovative programs and strengthen existing ones. The generosity of the Burras will allow us to prepare students for the dynamic fields of accounting and finance.”

More than $300 million has already been raised during the campaign’s silent phase over the past five years, university officials said.

A long list of planned academic initiatives includes expanding programs for students from underrepresented communities and formal recognition as a Hispanic-serving institution, officials said.

The university also aims to improve student retention rates by providing more support to students outside of the classroom, with the ultimate goal of achieving an 89% undergraduate graduation rate.

“When I talk about the retention rate and say that’s the goal for the Provost, it really is the goal for all of us,” said Struppa, who is in his seventh year as Chapman’s president. “Staff, faculty and administrators, we must all work together to make this happen.”

To expand health science programs for graduate students, university officials can add new degree and certificate options by offering certificates in telemedicine and certificates in virtual reality for medical professionals.

The university is also planning state-of-the-art upgrades to the Rinker Health Sciences campus in Irvine over the next five years.

Facility upgrades, technology upgrades, and policy overhauls are planned to enhance the workplace experiences for faculty and staff.

University leaders are proposing infrastructure upgrades that include the addition of a new student success center on Orange’s main campus.

“We have a task force under our provost that’s looking closely at what’s going to happen there,” Struppa said of the student success center. “When we talk about our students, we want to have a place where they can find most of what they need to be successful.”

Also from autumn 2024, the renovation of a newly acquired hall of residence for students will take place.

To meet his $500 million fundraising goal, Chapman will seek to increase support for all 11 of the university’s schools and colleges and strengthen relationships with parents and volunteers across the board, officials said.