The College of Creative Arts and Media received 1,429 gifts totaling more than $4 million during the 2025 West Virginia University Day of Giving. This generous support from alumni and donors earned the College an additional $25,000 for placing third on the University’s “Amount Raised Leaderboard” and $17,500 for placing second on the "Participation Leaderboard.”
WVU’s annual Day of Giving is a 24-hour fundraising event that pools gifts of all sizes to support priority initiatives such as student scholarships and experiential learning, faculty research and teaching, and facility and technology improvements.
“I started giving because I wanted to help the University create a dedicated spot for its art collection and an educational offering for its students incorporating Art,” said George Lilley, a longtime friend and donor of the Art Museum of WVU. “I’d encourage others to help sustain this free museum that displays creative works by humanity. A visit opens new perspectives on how humans see the world.”
In addition to placing on the university’s overall fundraising leaderboards, the College of Creative Arts and Media won an extra $6,000 for placing first in both “Most Alumni Gifts” challenges, $3,000 for a first-place win in the “Most Faculty and Staff Gifts” challenge, and $1,000 for placing third in the first of two “Most Friend Gifts” challenges. The College also placed in four of the eight “Most Gifts” challenges for an extra $7,000.
Finally, CCAM students and supporters won additional funding for the College during the WVU Day of Giving social media challenges. The WVU Bluegrass Band won the first of three Country Roads challenges, garnering an additional $625 for the College. Retired Major General Jim Hoyer was one of four winners of the “I Gave” video challenge, earning $312.50 for the Reed School of Media and Communications.
Prior to Day of Giving, the College’s development team, including Jennifer Jordan, Mary Esposito and Andi Hasley, worked with select alumni and donors who were interested in providing funds to establish challenges, including:
$50,000 Pride Practice Field and Facility Challenge, funded by David Hendrickson
$25,000 Jerry McGonigle Curtain Call Challenge, funded by Ken Bell
$20,000 Art Museum Greatest Needs Challenge, funded by Friends of the Art Museum of WVU
$10,000 WVU Marching Band Drumline Challenge (anonymous)
$8,000 Dr. Diana Martinelli Resilient Leaders Scholarship, funded by a group of loyal WVU Reed School of Media and Communications alumni
Each of these challenges were met by donors who made gifts in varying amounts on Day of Giving. The challenges named for McGonigle, a beloved theatre professor who is retiring after 35 years at WVU, and Martinelli, an invaluable leader and educator in the Reed School of Media and Communications, inspired alumni giving.
“I’m so inspired to donate in honor of one the best, Jerry McGonigle,” said Leann Knotts, an alumna and McGonigle’s former student. “When the department first announced his retirement and this Curtain Call Challenge, many of his former students posted wonderful memories and stories of his impact. He certainly impacted my life at WVU and my life’s journey. Now, my baby sister, Madeline, is a sophomore in the musical theatre program, so she will possibly directly benefit from these donations.”
“There is no better teacher and educator than Diana Martinelli,” said Fulton, a 1979 alumnus who has also served as an adjunct instructor for the Reed School. “She's a student-first person, not only as a teacher, but as an administrator. She values the opportunity to give everyone a chance to achieve a higher education, and this scholarship allows that.”
Thanks to the generosity of alumni, faculty, staff and friends, the College of Creative Arts and Media can continue to innovate, provide new opportunities for students and faculty and provide invaluable services and experiences for community.
For more information, visit creativeartsandmedia.wvu.edu.