In his first State of the University address, Chapman University President Matt Parlow celebrated student and faculty achievements, previewed new programs and announced a major milestone: the school’s endowment has, for the first time in its history, crossed the $1 billion mark.
“As you can see, the state of our university is incredibly strong, we’re going to continue with that,” Parlow said in his Friday, Feb. 27, address, eliciting thunderous applause from the audience as confetti rained down.
During the hour-long address, delivered at Chapman’s Musco Center for the Arts in Orange, the new president highlighted the school’s continued upward academic trajectory, including its rise to number 110 in U.S. News & World Report’s latest annual college rankings — a 10% improvement from the year before. The ranking is the highest Chapman has achieved, Parlow said, and puts it in the top 25% of the 434 national universities included in the U.S. News report.
Parlow made special mention of the academic achievements of graduating students who become teachers, pharmacists and physician’s assistants, reflecting the school’s contributions to health care and education. He also celebrated wide-ranging accomplishments of esteemed alumni, including three Major League Baseball broadcasters and a script coordinator who brought to life the hit “Spider-Verse” franchise, as well as two backup dancers for pop superstar Taylor Swift during her sold-out Eras Tour.
Parlow, the former executive vice president and chief advancement officer, took the helm as Chapman’s 14th president in October, following the retirement Daniele Struppa, who led the university for nearly a decade. As president, Parlow is steering an institution with more than 10,000 students and 2,000 faculty and staff across 11 schools and colleges, including nationally recognized programs in film, law, business and health sciences.
A Los Angeles-native and Yale-educated lawyer, Parlow previously served as Chapman’s law school dean and chief fundraiser. During his speech Friday, Parlow highlighted the strength of the school’s various fundraising efforts, including the newest Inspire Campaign, which has raised $480 million in the past three years — just $20 million shy of an ambitious target of $500 million by 2028.
Parlow announced Friday that Christine Cross, a long-time Chapman donor, has committed another $20 million to fund need-based scholarships, pushing the school’s endowment past $1 billion.
In addition to continued investments in research and academic initiatives, Parlow said Chapman will be devoting resources to community engagement programs. The university this month launched the Or Initiative, backed by a nearly $2 million fund from the Samueli Foundation, that is focusing on fostering civil discourse among young people. The initiative will develop a curriculum for public schools to help students navigate an increasingly polarized political landscape.
“Chapman values and stands by free speech,” Parlow said. “That’s something society as a whole is struggling with right now. We can be a national leader in that.”
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