Special Campaigns

Soccer Stadium campaign launches in 2019-2020

Aerial rendition of the proposed Sheska Stadium.

A fundraising campaign to build a stand-alone soccer facility in the heart of campus launched with a 36-member committee spearheading the effort. At the end of ﬁscal year 2019-2020, $79,500* had been raised for the project.

The $2.5 million facility will be built adjacent to Eiler-Martin Stadium where the baseball ﬁeld was once located. When complete, the facility will attract top talent to ESU, it will aid in admissions for student-athletes, and provide a home facility where alumni, family and fans can attend games and events. Its features will include a new NCAA regulation artiﬁcial turf soccer ﬁeld, perimeter fencing, spectator seating, ﬁeld lighting, a press box, scoreboard and sound system.

It was announced in April 2020 that ESU’s Student Activity Association (SAA) Board approved a dollar-for-dollar matching gift up to $1,250,000. Through SAA’s support, ESU’s club and intramural sports will also have use of the ﬁeld when the soccer programs are not using the facility.

Chairing the campaign committee is Jerry Sheska ’68, ESU’s men’s soccer coach for 29 years (1982-2010) and women’s coach for two (1992-1994). Sheska is the winningest PSAC coach with 424 wins to his name. Working with the ESU Foundation, the committee will continue to garner support from alumni and friends of the soccer program.

*Cash, written and verbal agreements

WRESTLING SCHOLARSHIP CAMPAIGN GAINS MOMENTUM

The Wrestling Scholarship Campaign provides student-athletes the resources they need to learn and compete.

A campaign for scholarships for the men’s and women’s wrestling programs gained signiﬁcant traction in 2019-2020, with the ESU Foundation raising $174,875 by the end of June 2020. Women’s wrestling was announced as ESU’s 21st varsity sport in December 2018 as recruiting and the need for annual and endowed scholarship funds became paramount.

The Wrestling Scholarship Campaign will continue into 2020-2021. Annual scholarships, which will bear the name of the donor or person whom the donor wishes to honor, require a minimum gift of$1,000 per year for a minimum of four years. Endowed scholarships require a minimum gift of $25,000 which can be paid over a ﬁve-year period. The option to pledge a gift or to give to an existing wrestling scholarship is also available.

Student Emergency Response Fund brings assistance during COVID-19

East Stroudsburg University students were dramatically impacted by classes shifting to all-online in March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic brought on unexpected expenses that would have interrupted remote studies and caused delays in student’s education. Wanting to help, 184 donors stepped in, providing $66,717 to the Student Emergency Response Fund.

Students faced tremendous uncertainty in being able to complete the spring semester due to housing and transportation issues, limited technology and more, according to Rich Santoro, executive director of the ESU Foundation. “Many struggled without resources to transition to online classes as they relied on campus technology. Others lost jobs, had no income and the means to transition off campus. Through the generosity of many, these students were given the support they needed.”

To hear from students on the life-changing impact student emergency funds had on their ability to complete the semester, visit https://www.esufoundation.org/make-a-difference.

Locker Legacy Campaign raises funds for scholarships

The Locker Legacy Campaign continues in 2020-2021

Alumni and friends of ESU’s lacrosse, ﬁeld hockey and men’s basketball programs rallied for the Locker Legacy Campaign, raising money for scholarships while also showing their appreciation of the sport, sponsoring new lockers in Koehler Fieldhouse and Whitenight Field.

Donor’s generosity will be recognized with a plaque bearing their name, sport, and years played, on a locker for 10 years. At the end of ﬁscal year 2019-2020, donors had generously given the following amounts:

Lacrosse - $4,000
Field Hockey - $5,000
Men’s Basketball - $3,000

The Locker Legacy Campaign will continue in 2020-2021. A locker sponsorship of $500 is payable over three years.

Esports Lab campaign focuses on equipment, construction needs

The ESU Foundation has raised $188,181 to purchase equipment and construct ESU’s emerging electronic sports (Esports) program. The Esports lab will create an innovative game-based learning environment that develops new models of learning, speciﬁcally in emerging digital media technology ﬁelds where science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) principles can be shared.

When complete, the campaign will enable ESU to purchase state-of-the-art computers, software, gaming furniture and equipment for the lab space that will be located on the ﬁrst ﬂoor of Rosenkrans East.