Washburn gets $2M gift from departing president

TOPEKA (KSNT) - On Thursday the Washburn University Alumni Association and Foundation announced a $2 million gift from retiring President Jerry Farley and his wife, Susan.

 “Our entire lives have revolved around Washburn for the last 25 years, and we are excited to continue serving the University in multiple capacities,” said Jerry Farley. “Throughout my time as president, we have worked on building a culture of giving back to the University, and Susan and I are proud to make this commitment.”

The gift is the largest ever from a Washburn president, according to the Alumni Association. After serving more than 25 years as Washburn president Jerry Farley is retiring, effective Sept. 30, 2022.

During his tenure, Washburn has added several residence halls, plus constructed several learning spaces. Farley led the effort to add new and expanded spaces for teaching and attracted the Kansas Bureau of Investigation Forensic Center to campus which allowed the university to add multiple world-class forensic programs to the academic portfolio. In recent times, he also oversaw the completion of a a new indoor athletic facility and the groundbreaking for a new law school on Washburn’s campus.

To celebrate the Farleys’ tenure at Washburn, the public is also invited to attend a retirement reception in their honor from 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1 in the Washburn Room of the Memorial Union on Washburn’s campus. For more information about all events surrounding his retirement, visit https://wualumni.org/farleyfarewell.