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From the President
I’m pleased to connect with you through our renewed Leading Edge newsletter, sharing updates on some of the many Academy programs that are supported by friends like you through the USAFA Endowment.
As an Air Force Academy graduate, career Air Force officer and former Academy superintendent, I know how vital this institution is to the future of our Armed Forces and our nation. I am honored to serve in my current position as president of the Endowment to help champion the Academy and cadets.
Thank you for investing in this great institution and the young men and women who have been called to serve our nation.
Mike Gould ’76
Giving Back
"The Academy shaped my life"
Marus and Ginger AndersonFormer Commandant of Cadets Marcus Anderson ’61 and his wife Ginger made a significant gift to the Academy that will impact countless cadets. They directed their support to five priority programs: the sponsor wing program, Peak Performance Center, Exemplar Program, course-related cadet research and scholarship, and capstone courses.
“This gift will have far-reaching impacts on our cadets,” says Mike Gould, president and CEO of the Endowment. “The generosity shown by the Andersons will allow us to help expand the excellence of the cadet experience and ultimately the future of the U.S. Air Force.”
Support for the sponsor wing program alone will help 1,000 cadets travel to Air Force bases around the country to study base operations and research career opportunities within the Air Force.
Since retirement, Anderson has remained connected to the Academy, serving on the board of the Association of Graduates (AOG) and as a trustee for the Falcon Foundation. The Andersons also supported cadet leadership programs through the Academy’s Center for Character and Leadership Development.
“The Academy shaped my life, provided me the tools for a successful and enjoyable career, and a set of values I have retained and used ever since being a cadet in the class of 1961,” Anderson says. “I think every graduate has benefited from his or her four years at the Academy, so it seems logical to help those who follow and enhance their opportunities.”
Read more about the Anderson's generous gift online.
Matching Gift
Donor challenge helps double observatory research capacity
An anonymous Academy supporter agreed to match gifts up to $100,000 to help replace the observatory’s 53-year-old telescope with a new, larger unit that will significantly enhance cadet and faculty research.
The year-end fundraising drive pushed the $1 million project over the top. The new telescope is expected to be installed by spring 2019.
“The new scope will gather light at least four times faster, be capable of tracking low-orbiting spacecraft, such as the International Space Station, be able to accommodate four modern instruments simultaneously and be remotely operable, conceivably from any location around the globe,” says Dr. Devin Della-Rose, the director of the Academy’s Astronomical Research Group and Observatory (ARGO). “Our existing 61-cm telescope—the oldest active scope in the Air Force inventory—is Apollo-era technology and enjoys none of these advantages.”
The new one-meter telescope has the potential to more than double cadet research capacity, impacting up to 20 physics and astronautical engineering majors every year. It will also offer professional development activities for at least 10 faculty members.
Gifts to help expand observatory research and community outreach programs can be given online: usafa.org/Give/telescope
Private Philanthropy at Work
Seven foundations pulling together
Private philanthropy has played a significant role in the growth and development of the United States Air Force Academy.
In 1954 — the year the Academy was established — the Air Force Academy in Colorado Foundation, Inc. was formed. Today, seven foundations, including the USAFA Endowment, function within the realm of Academy-focused philanthropy.
With a view toward the decade ahead, the presidents and chairs of the seven foundations are forging closer alliances as they work together on behalf of the Academy. The leaders summarized their united mission in a joint statement: “Our goal is simple: to solidify a team dedicated and positioned to best serve USAFA.”
Learn more about the history of the Endowment and the Academy’s family of supporting foundations in an article originally published in Checkpoints magazine: usafa.org/news/foundationprimer.
A Winning Team
Introducing Chris Brewer
Director of major gifts
Chris Brewer joined the Endowment team in July 2014. He has responsibilities over the Southeast region of the country meeting with USAFA graduates, parents, corporate representatives, and other supporters to discuss their ongoing and future support of the Endowment.
Chris supports the nominations and governance committee of the USAFA Endowment board. He has 10 years of frontline fundraising experience. He previously worked at Vanderbilt University and the College of William & Mary.
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