On Saturday, August 23, following a celebration carnival and in advance of a spectacular fireworks show, Indiana University of Pennsylvania officially launched its Impact 150 comprehensive fundraising campaign, the largest in the university’s history.
The Impact 150 Campaign is named in honor of the university’s sesquicentennial celebration in 2025.
As of August 1, the campaign has secured $81,236,852—54 percent of the campaign goal of $150 million—from 11,673 donors.
“During the last two years, thousands of alumni and friends stepped forward during the quiet phase of this work, and their generosity has laid the foundation for this campaign,” IUP President Michael Driscoll said.
“Impact 150 is about more than a number. It’s about what that number represents: scholarships that open doors for students, programs that prepare graduates for an evolving world, faculty research that strengthens the lives of people around the world, and new ways of teaching and learning that will keep IUP strong for generations,” he said.
“While this campaign comes at a time when we are celebrating IUP’s 150th birthday and honoring our incredible history and legacy, Impact 150 is really about the future, keeping students at the center of all we do,” President Driscoll said
The Impact 150 Campaign centers around raising funds for healthy students, including supporting students academically and personally; a healthy university, including maintaining IUP’s commitment to excellence and innovation; and healthy communities, including IUP’s work to establish a college of osteopathic medicine. Donors have gifted more than $34.3 million specifically for IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
Laurie Frisina Kuzneski, a 1993 graduate of IUP, and her husband, Andy Kuzneski III, are the cochairs of the Impact 150 Campaign. The couple makes their home in Indiana, and she is a member and vice chair of IUP’s Council of Trustees. Their son, Andrew Kuzneski IV, is a 2025 graduate of IUP.
“Andy and I are honored to cochair the Impact 150 Campaign—a collective promise to shape IUP’s next 150 years of excellence and innovation,” Laurie Kuzneski said.
“I may have lived in Waterford, PA, for the first 18 years of my life, but IUP is where I grew up. The experiences I had inside and outside the classroom launched me into multiple careers that I have loved, gave me lifelong friendships, helped me find out who I really was, and prepared me to become who I really wanted to be,” she said.
“We talk a lot about being grateful—and we should. But giving back, whether it is our time or our treasure, is how we put that gratitude into action. It’s how we say, ‘I remember what IUP did for me—and I am so grateful that I want to be part of making that happen for someone else.’
“IUP isn’t just planning for next year’s students, but for the next 150 years of students. And we have to give back so those students can move forward,” she said.
She closed her remarks by recognizing members of the Impact 150 National Campaign Cabinet, the fundraising total, and the fireworks show that concluded the evening.
“IUP alumni and friends are amazing in their generosity and steadfast in their commitment and their belief in IUP’s life-changing potential,” IUP Vice President for University Advancement Jennifer DeAngelo said.
“We’ve seen gifts at all levels, from 13 gifts of $1 million or more, $15 million in gifts from donors who prefer to remain anonymous, and 562 gifts ranging from $5,000 to $25,000,” she said. “We appreciate each and every gift and each and every donor.
“We also are very grateful for Laurie and Andy Kuzneski’s incredible leadership and hard work, and the hard work and dedication of the entire Impact 150 National Campaign Cabinet. Impact 150 is the most ambitious fundraising campaign in IUP’s history, but by working together, I am confident that this campaign will be successful,” she said.
The public launch included recognition of several donors there for the event, including Rhonda Luckey and Alan Luckey, of Indiana, who donated the official commemorative gift of IUP’s 150th anniversary celebration, the Weaver’s Perfect Memory. Luckey retired from her work at IUP as vice president for Student Affairs in 2018; Alan Luckey is a 1987 bachelor’s degree and 1989 master’s degree graduate of IUP.
To honor their long connection to IUP, the Luckeys partnered with IUP Wood Center Director BA Harrington and 20 art students to craft a commemorative version from Oak Grove trees reclaimed through the Allegheny Arboretum’s Harvest to Use Project.
Abigail Hancox, a 2024 IUP graduate who is currently completing master’s degrees at IUP in both public affairs and student affairs in higher education, introduced President Driscoll during the launch event.
Hancox, of Albion, is a student member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors.
IUP raised more than $81.36 million through its Imagine Unlimited comprehensive campaign, which concluded in February 2021, exceeding the campaign’s $75 million goal.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025 and through the Impact 150 comprehensive campaign, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking to its next 150 years of student success, innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.
Learn more about Impact 150 on the IUP website.