University Leadership Honors

Name: SDState Alumni & Foundation
Price range: $

The University Leadership Honors ceremony is a way of celebrating today what will live on forever.

Each year, the event celebrates the outstanding faculty members appointed to endowed positions and the generous donors whose investments in these roles ensure that academic excellence and innovation at SDSU thrive for generations to come.

President Dunn holds a plaque with a medallion while standing with a newly endowed holder and the donor who started the endowment.

College dean places a medallion around the neck of a newly endowed holder.

New endowed faculty member smiles while standing in the middle of the two donors who started the endowment.

Our people are our reason to celebrate, and the next chapter of SDSU would look very different without the donors and scholars who make named endowed positions possible.

7 newest endowment holders at sdsu stand side by side on stage smiling, wearing their medallions

2025 Honorees

At the fourth annual University Leadership Honors in September 2025, SDSU honored its newest cohort of endowment holders — the highest honor the university can bestow upon a faculty or staff member. The seven individuals and the donors who made their positions possible were recognized at the event.

The 2025 honorees are pictured above, from left to right:

Lacy Knutson - Lucas P. Wintrode Assistant Professor in Special Education - Autism Studies
Ryan Lefers - William Mibra Griffith and Byrne S. Griffith Chair in Agriculture and Water Resources
Rachel Willand-Charnley - Bill and Nancy Wadsworth Research Faculty Scholar in Chemistry
Erin Miller - Gail M. Gullickson Assistant Professor of Public and Population Health
T. Michael Farley - Gary and Sharon Van Riper Faculty Scholar in Practice Innovation
Erica Summerfield - Karen D. Stuck Assistant Professor in Agricultural Communication
Karen Sanguinet - Klingbeil Department Head of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science

Female professor stands while talking with three male students sitting at a table with their laptops open.

Male professor points and shows two students something on a piece of red farming equipment.

Why Endowments?

The power of endowments stems from both the everlasting nature of the opportunities they create and the abundance of possibilities for donors to make a difference. Endowments can support anything from individual positions, departments, or even an entire academic college.

Endowed faculty positions enhance SDSU’s national reputation, attract top talent, and strengthen research and educational opportunities that might not otherwise be possible.

Discover the Power of Philanthropy

Endowments

Creating an endowment means making a long-term investment in SDSU that will provide support for the students, faculty, and programs you care about for generations to come.

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Ways to Give

Whether you’re a first-time donor or a long-time supporter looking for new ways to make a bold impact, there are a variety of ways to donate to SDSU.

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Support SDSU Today

Your gift today can immediately support students, programs, and innovations across campus, helping to create opportunities that will impact Jackrabbits now and for generations to come.

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Endowments are a tremendous legacy. Think about it: not only do they impact our academic and research work today, endowments live on into the future. Is there anything more powerful than something that will live on throughout time?
— Provost Dennis Hedge

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