Bold & Blue, the campaign for South Dakota State University, exceeds $500 million goal

Bold & Blue is the third and largest comprehensive capital campaign in South Dakota State University’s history with an ambitious goal of $500 million. The campaign is a statement about the trajectory of SDSU and the bold belief that alumni, friends and industry partners would rise to the occasion.

In September 2023, the university received a commitment of $5 million from Jerry Lohr to establish a scholarship endowment. With that, and other commitments, the campaign was assured to surpass $500 million.

Bold & Blue will continue through April 2024 with lasting enthusiasm and momentum. The overwhelming response to the annual One Day for STATE fundraising event — with nearly $2.5 million raised in 2023 from more than 6,200 donors in 24 hours — is an example of the investment in Bold & Blue.

SDSU’s endowment is at an all-time high of $236 million, annual scholarship support from donors has doubled from $4 million to $8 million, and the SDSU Foundation has commitments in place for 53 endowed leadership positions on campus. This campaign is transforming SDSU to becoming a premier land-grant university that will be positioned to serve South Dakota and its citizens for generations to come.

The public phase of Bold & Blue launched in October 2021 and focused on four main areas: our people, our places, our traditions and our innovations to elevate every corner of the university. To date, more than 30,000 unique donors have contributed to the campaign with over $156 million being raised for scholarships.