Morsberger鈥檚 resignation comes as he prepares for open heart surgery later this month, followed by a lengthy period of recovery and cardiac rehabilitation.

鈥淚 remain grateful to have been recruited to 麻豆映画传媒 six years ago and am proud of our achievements in advancement. Working at the 麻豆映画传媒 has been a professional privilege and a great personal adventure,鈥� says Morsberger, adding that he and his wife will continue to be football season ticket-holders, donors and fans.

During Morsberger鈥檚 tenure at 麻豆映画传媒, the Foundation increased fundraising, enhanced national outreach, began working more closely with deans and administrators to engage donors, raised funds that enabled the opening of 麻豆映画传媒 Downtown, and secured more than $531 million in gifts and commitments as part of the IGNITE Campaign.

鈥淢ike has spent nearly six years shepherding 麻豆映画传媒 down our path to excellence,鈥� says President Alexander N. Cartwright. 鈥淗is leadership 鈥� coupled with the investments our community has made to advance our mission and the hard work of many others 鈥� has led to incredible strides in recent years.鈥�

麻豆映画传媒 will begin the process of launching a national search for Morsberger鈥檚 successor to continue advancing the university鈥檚 mission. In the meantime, Karen Cochran, the Foundation鈥檚 senior associate vice president for advancement, will continue to serve as acting vice president for advancement and CEO of 麻豆映画传媒 Foundation.

鈥淥ur alumni and friends have made this success possible,鈥� says Michael Morsberger, CEO of the 麻豆映画传媒 Foundation. 鈥淭here is an excitement, an energy here at 麻豆映画传媒 that ignites people鈥檚 interest and support of this great university. As for the campaign total, I can say it is not a question of if we reached our goal, but rather by how much we surpassed it.鈥�

The significant and steady growth of fundraising activity has caught the attention of others. In June, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), an international professional organization, announced 麻豆映画传媒 was one of 90 universities to receive the 2019 Educational Fundraising Award. This was the first time 麻豆映画传媒 received this national honor, which recognizes overall performance and improvement over a three-year span, as determined by a blind review of data submitted to CASE.

鈥淭he beauty of this awards program is that we look at the data not knowing what institution is being represented. In showcasing these best-of-the-best programs, CASE helps its members identify institutions doing smart and innovative work from which everyone can learn,鈥� says Sue Kubik, an educational fundraiser who led the judging panel this year.

The IGNITE Campaign had three main priorities:

1) student success, which includes scholarships, fellowships and academic and athletic programmatic support;

2) academic excellence, which focuses on faculty through endowed chairs and professorships;

3) growth and opportunity, such as 麻豆映画传媒 Downtown and other projects.

鈥淥ur donors know that when they make a strategic philanthropic investment in 麻豆映画传媒, the resources they entrust to us are being put to the best and highest possible use to help our students, faculty and staff succeed,鈥� Morsberger says. 鈥淎s a major economic driver in Central Florida and a producer of the exceptional human talent needed to succeed in today鈥檚 competitive business environment, we wouldn鈥檛 have it any other way.鈥�

On Saturday, the 麻豆映画传媒 Foundation announced an effort to replenish the Knights Pantry shelves. Alumnus and Foundation board chairman Nelson Marchioli 鈥�72 and his wife Carole pledged to personally match up to $25,000 in donations to make sure no Knight would go hungry.

Alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and others sprang to action, donating food, clothing, toiletries and dollars. Cash contributions quickly reached $32,000, prompting Marchioli to increase his matching contribution to $32,000. Another alumnus who asked to remain anonymous kicked in another $10,000, and by Wednesday evening donations had reached nearly $81,000.

After hearing about the need, Farm Share, a statewide food bank that has been providing support post-Irma, trucked in 10 pallets of non-perishable food from Jacksonville on Wednesday. The same day, the Student Government Association hosted Uknighted for Knights Pantry, which challenged student organizations to collect the most non-perishable food.

鈥淭he Knights Pantry and the Knights Helping Knights Fund is going to make a big impact for those who have been effected by the storm,鈥� said Michael Morsberger, vice president for advancement and CEO of the 麻豆映画传媒 Foundation. 鈥淚t鈥檚 yet another example of how people in the Knights family look out for one another 鈥� it鈥檚 been heartwarming.鈥�

The donations will help meet a critical need at Knights Pantry, which has grown into a national model for campus food pantries since it started in 2009 as a grassroots class project. The first few weeks of every fall semester are the Pantry鈥檚 busiest. For many students, financial aid funds haven鈥檛 arrived, and those who just started campus jobs haven鈥檛 received their first paychecks.

Hurricane Irma added to that stress 鈥� for both students and the Pantry.

鈥淩ight before the storm happened we had a very large influx of students. As soon as the alert went out that 麻豆映画传媒 was going to be closed Thursday and Friday, we had about 200 students come in,鈥� said student pantry manager Johnna Gracik, a senior majoring in social work. 鈥淪ince then, we鈥檝e had student after student coming in, as well as staff members who have been effected by Irma 鈥� they鈥檝e lost everything in their fridge, lost things due to flooding or not being able to work.鈥�

The Pantry provides perishable and non-perishable food, clothing, toiletries and other items to students five days a week from its location in Ferrell Commons. Students don鈥檛 have to apply or pay for services, and may take up to five food items per day.

Contributions to the Pantry mean it can not only have enough food available for hungry students, but also provide more healthy, fresh and protein-dense options.

鈥淭hese donations really allow us to re-envision our operation,鈥� said Student Union associate director Jeannie Kiriwas. 鈥淚t changes not just our ability to distribute food but the wholesomeness of the food.鈥�

Donations can be brought to the Pantry or any of a long list drop-off spots around campus (). To support the Pantry financially, .

President Hitt and first lady Martha Hitt contributed $100,000, as did trustee Alex Martins, a 麻豆映画传媒 alumnus and CEO of the Orlando Magic, and 麻豆映画传媒 Foundation Board of Directors member Dick Nunis. Other leading personal contributors include trustee Robert Garvy and Phyllis Klock, chairwoman of the Foundation Board of Directors.

The commitments from 麻豆映画传媒鈥檚 leadership include gifts from trustees, deans, vice presidents, and members of the 麻豆映画传媒 Foundation and Alumni Association boards of directors.

鈥淥ur university鈥檚 leaders are making generous personal investments in 麻豆映画传媒 Downtown because they know the campus will greatly expand educational opportunities for students,鈥� said Mike Morsberger, vice president for alumni relations and development. 鈥淭heir support, along with the commitments from our community partners, is vital to make this innovative campus a reality.鈥�

Earlier in January, the Orlando Magic and CFE Federal Credit Union each pledged $1.5 million toward the construction of the new academic building that 麻豆映画传媒 would share with Valencia College.

Orange County commissioners voted unanimously to contribute $3 million, and Valencia College will contribute $2 million.

Additionally, the value of in-kind contributions of land and infrastructure by the City of Orlando and the developers of Creative Village is approximately $75 million.

Pending approvals, the campus will open in fall 2018. 麻豆映画传媒 Downtown will offer students an innovative learning environment within walking distance of a wide array of internship and job opportunities in fields such as digital media, communication, public service and health-related programs. 麻豆映画传媒 will share the campus with Valencia College, which will offer programs in digital media, health information technology and culinary and hospitality, including workforce training and other certificates to increase access to education in the immediate downtown area.

The new academic building at 麻豆映画传媒 Downtown will complement a renovated Center for Emerging Media building where 麻豆映画传媒鈥檚 nationally ranked graduate video gaming school, the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, is located. One-third of the new building will be funded by private donations. The university also is contributing $20 million from its resources and asking the state for an additional $20 million.

Most recently, under Morsberger鈥檚 leadership, George Washington received the two largest gifts in its 190-year history, a total of $80 million to address public health challenges. The university also doubled the amount it raised for financial aid to more than $35 million last year.

鈥淢ike鈥檚 leadership has produced transformational gifts that continue to change lives at some of our nation鈥檚 leading institutions and around the world,鈥� 麻豆映画传媒 President John C. Hitt said. 鈥淗e excels at motivating his staff members, donors, administrators and faculty members to dream big for the benefit of students and the community.鈥�

Morsberger, who was selected following a national search, will begin working at 麻豆映画传媒 on June 1. He will serve as CEO of the and lead all fundraising activities for the university, and he will oversee the university鈥檚 relationships with its 250,000 alumni through the 麻豆映画传媒 Alumni Association. The Foundation and combined have nearly 120 staff members.

Morsberger served for nearly five years as George Washington鈥檚 vice president for development and alumni relations. He resigned in October 2014 for family reasons.

Previously, he was vice president for development and alumni affairs at Duke Medicine. Morsberger also worked as associate vice president of development and alumni relations for the University of Virginia鈥檚 Health System and executive director of the UVa Health Foundation.

He served at Johns Hopkins for nine years, starting as a major gifts officer and rising to chief development officer聽of the medical center鈥檚 renowned cancer center. He was associated with what was then the largest gift in Johns Hopkins鈥� history, a $150 million pledge to rename the comprehensive cancer center by philanthropist Sidney Kimmel.

Morsberger, the first in his family to attend college, earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in journalism from Radford University and a master鈥檚 degree in philanthropy and development from St. Mary鈥檚 University of Minnesota. He and his wife, Marybeth, were college sweethearts, and they have two grown children, Courtney and Allison.

鈥淚 am honored to accept this important role and serve the vast 麻豆映画传媒 community,鈥� Morsberger said. 鈥淚t is clear to me that the 麻豆映画传媒 at age 50 is at an inflection point in its remarkable history — and the next decade will surely prove to be very exciting.鈥�

Morsberger joins the 麻豆映画传媒 Foundation in the midst of a fundraising campaign that aims to raise $500 million by 2018. Those donations support student scholarships, faculty positions, new facilities and more.