Potsdam College Foundation

POTSDAM COLLEGE FOUNDATION MISSION

The mission of the Potsdam College Foundation is to ensure a quality future for SUNY Potsdam. In cooperation with the staff of SUNY Potsdam, the Foundation reaches out to the College’s communities, promotes a positive image, forges and nurtures relationships, secures and stewards private funding, and augments the College's resources.

WHAT IS THE POTSDAM COLLEGE FOUNDATION AND

HOW DOES IT HELP SUNY POTSDAM?

The Potsdam College Foundation is a non-profit corporation, established in 1968, to steward the continued growth of private giving in support of SUNY Potsdam. The Foundation is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees which includes representation from SUNY Potsdam’s alumni, faculty, faculty emeriti, and students, as well as the regional and national community.

ASSETS

The Foundation Board of Trustees oversees the management of private funds given to SUNY Potsdam through the Potsdam College Foundation. In addition, the Foundation owns art objects and cultural artifacts that are used for teaching and for display on the campus. The total assets managed by the Potsdam College Foundation are valued at $18,541,958. The market value for the Endowment Fund valued June 30, 2005 is $13,593,782.

GIVING

Gifts to the Potsdam College Foundation are tax deductible. In fiscal year 2004-2005, gifts to the Foundation exceeded $3 million, including gifts of cash, stock, and real property. The Foundation actively encourages bequests and other gifts of a deferred nature, including annuities and trusts.

Gifts come to the Potsdam College Foundation to provide annual support to meet ongoing campus needs and to establish permanent endowments, to support such things as student scholarships and programs. 

Annual gifts are generally received through the Fund for Potsdam and are solicited by mail, phone or in person. Unrestricted gifts are allocated by the campus leadership based upon campus priorities. Donor restricted gifts are earmarked for a specific department, program, or project. 

Gifts to an endowment are generally restricted by the donor to support a specific program, project, or scholarship. In this case, these gifts are generally solicited in person by college staff or volunteers. The gift is invested with other endowment funds, and the interest generated annually becomes the amount expendable to support the purpose of the endowment.

PRIVATE GIVING MAKES THESE PROGRAMS AT POTSDAM POSSIBLE

The College annually allocates private gifts to fund a variety of programs on the campus, including:

• Admissions Scholarships to high-quality students from various regions, providing them with scholarships to help fund their education at Potsdam;
• Matching funds for faculty and staff gifts to individual departments, up to $500;
• Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series, which brings successful alumni back to campus to speak to students about their career experience;
• The Presidential Scholars Program, which recognizes our best and brightest students with financial and programmatic support; and
• The Gibson Gallery and the Art Collection, for general operating support and specific support for exhibits which are open to students,faculty, and the community.

In addition, the Foundation manages endowment funds that provide for permanent funding for a variety of campus programs including:

• Over $1.4 million in scholarships and awards provided to students annually; and
• Complete funding for an annual humanities summer seminar, library acquisitions, travel and visiting scholars each fall through the Faculty Development Fund/NEH Endowment