Longtime donors Al and Dotty Warkentine in March set an ambitious goal for the Fresno Pacific University community in March — raise enough money to match the Warkentines’ gift of $1.5 million by the end of June.

The university announced Friday that its fundraising efforts hit the $1.5 million match — and then some. The university had collected nearly $2 million by June 30.

That money added to the Warkentines’ gift brings the total to $3,434,222, the university said.

The money will go to the general fund, and the intent is to use it in ways that directly benefit students, such as scholarships.

“We are beyond excited at this wonderful response. We feel we’ve just begun to fly — this gift helps us soar,” Liz Garvin, vice president for advancement and executive director of the FPU Foundation, said in a news release.

The Warkentines’ donation challenge came as the university continues to face financial pressures that have led to staff downsizing, restructuring of academic departments, and the elimination of some majors.

Longtime University Supporters

Al Warkentine, a retired dentist and member of the university’s first board of trustees, and his wife Dotty, a retired harpist, have said they consider Fresno Pacific their mission field. Their generous support over decades has included the major donation for the Warkentine Culture and Arts Center.

“I thank God for the Warkentines and am truly humbled at this unselfish outpouring by those who support our mission to develop students for leadership and service through excellence in Christian higher education,” Fresno Pacific President Dr. André Stephens said in the news release. “As much as we love our students, it’s obvious others do as well.”

Fresno Pacific, a private Christian university headquartered in southeast Fresno, enrolls about 3,300 undergraduate and graduate students and seminary students at campuses in Fresno, Visalia, Merced, Bakersfield, and online.