The efforts of a dedicated fundraising board and former College Development Leader George Mayer will be felt at BGSU Firelands long after his retirement.

The branch college of the University surpassed a five-year goal set in 2005 to raise $1 million for endowed scholarships for students. Firelands exceeded the goal by about $10,000, and announced its success as part of Mayer’s retirement reception.

Firelands Dean of Students William Balzer credited much of the fundraising campaign’s success to Mayer’s contributions, as well as the donations of a “tremendously generous community.”

“The people of our community see very clearly the advantage of having a college nearby,” Balzer said, “and at annual programs, George would be very involved, working very closely with the development board in identifying donors, meeting with [them], and making sure we’re being good stewards of their dollars. He was an integral part of development efforts.”

When asked about the campaign, Mayer noted his significant role, but also credited the generous donations of individuals and foundations, most of whom have personal ties to BGSU Firelands. He said connected donors spanned the country, hailing from states such as California, New Hampshire, Florida and more.

“We certainly want to thank the donors and the various foundations who supported our fundraisers,” Mayer said. “Beginning in 2009, we were at about $850,000. We raised about $150,000 this past year in a very tough economy. When we hit that goal in December, I thought that was a nice way to retire, by exceeding.”

Debralee Divers, director of admissions and financial aid at BGSU Firelands, said the newly-raised funds are estimated to provide about 15 new endowed scholarships for students. Divers said the benefit of raising endowed scholarship funds is endowed funds are invested and gain interest, and the interest generated is given to students as a scholarship.

“That way, the money will always be there,” she said.

Endowed scholarships typically help about 150 Firelands students in an average year, Divers said.

Balzer said endowed scholarships are undoubtedly making a difference in the lives of financially-struggling students now and will continue to do so in the future.

“We have the pleasure of knowing these students really well,” he said. “Every time [a student] gets a scholarship, we know it’s making a difference, and we know it’s always going to be there meeting the needs of students who are so appreciative. Without it, they probably wouldn’t be in college.”

Divers said she is on the search committee reviewing about 50 applications and looking for Mayer’s replacement as the spring 2010 semester begins. She said the quality of candidates is overwhelming, but encouraging.

“[Mayer left] some pretty big shoes to fill. We’re in the process of searching for someone to fill them,” she said. “Hopefully by the end of this month we will have made a decision.”