Wichita State University Foundation & Alumni Engagement

Wichita State University Foundation & Alumni Engagement

Wichita State University Foundation & Alumni Engagement (WSUFAE) is the philanthropic and investment arm for Wichita State University, structured as a nonprofit foundation. Founded alongside the university's modern growth era, it is led by President and CEO Telly McGaha, who oversees both fundraising and endowment deployment. The foundation benefits from major donors including Wayne and Kay Woolsey, whose $10M portion of a $12M gift funded Woolsey Hall, and the Koch family, sponsor of the Koch Atrium. The foundation's investment strategy centers on venture capital, with multiple reported allocations to general venture funds. It also maintains significant real estate holdings, including the WSU Innovation Campus — a mixed-use development in Wichita — and Woolsey Hall, which houses the Barton School of Business. Other assets include the Ulrich Museum of Art Collection and the Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection. The foundation's portfolio spans university-related land holdings and a pooled endowment fund. The foundation operates from Wichita, Kansas, with additional physical assets on the WSU campus. It has a close relationship with the university president, Rick Muma, who serves as an ex-officio board member. The foundation is a member of the Wichita Independent Business Association and maintains an internal National Advisory Council to guide its activities. A structural differentiator is the foundation's dual role as both endowment manager and real estate developer, an unusual hybrid for a university foundation. The WSU Innovation Campus functions as an operating company that directly ties the foundation's investment activity to the university's economic development mission, creating a closed-loop partnership between academia and private capital.