Chapman University President Daniele Struppa unveiled plans to become “one of the great universities in the country,” during his annual State of the University address Feb. 10, including a fundraising campaign to increase its endowment, further strengthening its retention rate among undergraduates, the construction of new buildings, and an array of new degrees and programs.
During his hour-long speech, Struppa announced plans to raise $500 million by 2028 in an effort to meet its goal of having a $2 billion endowment by 2037.
Called “Inspire,” the campaign to reach such an endowment will be achieved through the university’s annual surplus—leftover funds from tuition and other revenues—donations, and management of its investment portfolio, he said.
During the address, Struppa additionally outlined a 5-year plan, called “Our Path to Greatness,” to improve the university’s image along several channels.
“You know you’re at the top when faculty from other universities want to come here … [and when] other universities try to steal your faculty,” he said.
The most important aspect to achieve this, Struppa said, is academic excellence, which includes a high retention rate, or how many students from freshman to sophomore year return.
Currently, the university’s rate is at 90 percent, but the goal in 5 years is 93 percent, which Struppa calls “very ambitious.”
“Admission is an indication of how much people think they like us, but retention is how much they really like us,” he said.
Another factor is raising the graduation rate from 86 to 89 percent.
Struppa said the university received a record number of applications this past year, with 16,000. As a result, he said next year, admissions will be fewer than its current 60 percent rate.
Other plans include the construction of a “state-of-the-art” multipurpose building at its Rinker Campus for Health Science campus in Irvine, about 15 miles from Chapman’s main Orange campus.
The new facility will provide students and faculty with purchasable food, conference rooms, and space for extracurricular clubs to have “intellectual conversations,” Struppa said.
Additionally, Struppa said the university is also creating many new programs, including a doctorate of health for clinical psychology, a certificate in telehealth, as well as possibly adding an occupational therapy program.
The university announced last November it had purchased an apartment complex in Anaheim’s Platinum Triangle—near Angel Stadium, about 3 miles from the university’s main campus—for $160 million to retrofit for student housing.
Struppa said it will cost about $50 million to turn the newly acquired buildings into dormitories, called Chapman Court, which will be ready for occupancy in the fall of 2024.
“We are going to provide our students with facilities we know they are going to love,” he said.
He additionally mentioned the university is planning on building a three-floor “student success center” on the Orange campus, which will provide tutoring, academic advising, counseling, and IT support, among other services.
