TCU Frog Club Has Record-Breaking Year
7/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | General
Additionally, for the third consecutive year, all scholarship costs for student-athletes will be covered through the TCU Frog Club.
"Every year we set aggressive fundraising goals with the sole objective of improving the student-athlete experience," TCU director of intercollegiate athletics Chris Del Conte said. "I am extremely proud to say that we accomplished that again this year."
The overall fundraising total includes cash gifts to the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum renovation project ($72 million) and the recently announced Charlie and Marie Lupton Baseball Stadium at Williams-Reilly Field improvements project ($7.5 million). The fundraising for both projects is complete with the basketball renovation scheduled for completion in November 2015, while the baseball improvements will be ready for the start of the 2016 campaign.
"Those two projects truly illustrate just how much momentum we have," Del Conte said. "To be able to raise that amount of money in a short period of time speaks to the incredible generosity of countless Horned Frogs who are dedicated to ensuring we will be successful across the board for many years to come. It is our collective duty to continue to push the envelope and provide a unique and world-class experience that you will only find at TCU."
While raising money for capital projects remained a primary goal, covering the cost of student-athlete scholarships across 21 intercollegiate sports is also an annual top priority. This remains an ongoing challenge due to the rising costs of tuition and the additional full cost of attendance support that schools are now providing student-athletes. In total, it now costs in excess of $58,000 to provide a student-athlete a full scholarship for one academic year at TCU.
"In less than five years, we have grown our annual scholarship fundraising totals by over 100 percent," TCU associate athletics director for development Jeremiah Donati said. "This is incredibly significant when you consider that scholarship costs have soared during that same time period.
"For the third year in a row, and for the first three times in TCU's history, we have been very fortunate to cover these costs. Going forward, we will continue to find ways to ensure we are providing these opportunities for our student-athletes."
The Frog Club's overall giving number of $39.2 million ranks third all-time in TCU's history for athletic fundraising ($47 million in fiscal year 2013; $40.4 million in fiscal year 2014) and maintains a four-year average of over $40 million in cash giving per year. This figure is the highest for all Big 12 members during that time period.
The annual scholarship fundraising total of $12.1 million broke the previous record of $10.9 million in the 2013 fiscal year and was a 15 percent increase over the 2014 fiscal year in which $10.5 million was raised in support of student-athlete scholarships.
Individuals interested in joining the TCU Frog Club may call the department's offices on campus at (817) 257-7700.
