Western Washington University in Bellingham has closed its most successful fundraising year in the institution's 133-year history, raising a record $25.5 million during Fiscal Year 2026. The milestone, announced by university officials on August 19, reflects donations from thousands of alumni, parents, faculty, staff, retirees, and friends during the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2026.
"We have been deeply moved by the generosity of our donors over the past year," said Kim Hill, CEO of The Foundation for WWU and Alumni and vice president for University Advancement. "Every gift represents someone who believes in Western and in the potential of our students and the excellence of our faculty."
A Transformational Gift From Longtime Supporters
The year was defined in large part by a single extraordinary commitment. Peter and Judith Hallson, longtime supporters and alumni of Western, pledged $10.5 million to the university, the largest gift in WWU's history. Their contribution will support several priorities, including establishing the Peter and Judith Hallson Deanship for the College of Science and Engineering. That position will be the first endowed deanship in Western's history, a significant milestone for a university that has long relied on rotating administrative appointments rather than endowed positions at the dean level.
The Hallsons' gift is not a single lump sum directed to one program but a multi-purpose commitment designed to shape the university's trajectory for generations. The endowed deanship alone provides stable, permanent leadership funding for one of Western's largest and most technically demanding colleges, which encompasses programs in engineering, computer science, chemistry, and related fields.
Other Notable Gifts in FY26
Beyond the Hallson commitment, several other significant donations helped push Western's total to the record figure. Ann Barr contributed $2 million to name a new endowed chair in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, creating a permanent professorship in a department that serves students pursuing careers in audiology and speech pathology.
The Estate of Ingeborg Paulus provided $695,000 for an endowed scholarship in Sociology. Puget Sound Energy contributed $467,000 as a grant recognizing energy savings achieved by Kaiser Borsari Hall, a relatively new campus building designed with energy efficiency as a core feature. An anonymous donor gave $300,000 to create the Western Excellence Awards, with initial funds directed to high-performing students in the College of Science and Engineering and the College of the Environment.
Jean Andresen donated $250,000 to establish The Healing Garden, a new reflective space planned for the campus grounds. Jim Justice and Dave McConnell contributed $250,000 to the Maestros Para el Pueblo Program in the Woodring College of Education, which focuses on preparing culturally responsive educators for Spanish-speaking communities.
Several gifts of $100,000 or more rounded out the year. Don and Karen Berry pledged $100,000 to support music students in the College of Fine and Performing Arts. Charles Clark, a 1973 graduate, established a $100,000 endowment for the new Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, adding to prior endowments he has made to the Mathematics and Physics and Astronomy departments. Donna Rassat created a $100,000 endowed scholarship in Chemistry to honor her late husband, Scot Rassat, a 1983 graduate.
Broad Donor Participation and WWU Give Day
The record total was not built solely on large gifts. Western's annual giving community remained strong, with hundreds of alumni, faculty, and friends contributing more than $4 million through gifts under $25,000. The university's WWU Give Day 2026 broke its own record, drawing nearly 3,000 donors who collectively contributed more than $1.05 million in a single day to scholarships, academic programs, athletics, and student experiences across campus.
The breadth of participation matters as much as the dollar total for a regional public university like Western. Alumni engagement, measured partly through donor participation rates, influences national rankings and signals institutional health to prospective students and faculty candidates. A Give Day drawing 3,000 participants from a community of roughly 17,000 current students and tens of thousands of alumni represents meaningful engagement with the university's mission.
Western Washington University has been a cornerstone of Bellingham's economy and cultural life since its founding in 1893, and the university's fundraising strength has direct implications for the quality of programs available to Whatcom County students. Scholarships funded by donor gifts reduce the financial barriers for local students considering Western for their undergraduate education.
The record fundraising year comes as WWU has also been working to grow enrollment after falling short of its class size goals in recent years. The university recently expanded its Guaranteed Admission Program to all Washington State high school seniors with a 2.75 GPA, a policy shift designed to increase access and boost incoming class sizes. More details on that expansion are available in recent Western news coverage. For more on the FY26 fundraising results, visit the Foundation for WWU and Alumni.
