Counselor Education, College Student Personnel, & Social Work

College Student Personnel

Support the Future of Higher Education: Invest in CSP Students

I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver. - Maya Angelou

Through the generous donations of alumni, the CSP program offers annual (non-renewable) scholarships to current graduate students enrolled in the major. These donations also help our students attend conferences, join national organizations like ACPA or NASPA, explore other forms of professional development, gain access to electronic textbooks through our university library, and participate in activities that enrich their graduate experience. 

If you are interested in making a donation to a student scholarship or giving to our foundation account to support the CSP program and its students in other ways, don't forget to choose College Student Personnel Program for your gift designation. To set up an endowed scholarship to support future students, contact the Director of Development for the College of Education and Human Services, Emily Gillett, at E-Gillett@wiu.edu.

Donate for Student Success

It is in your hands to make a better world for all who live in it. - Nelson Mandela

Current Campaigns

In 2024, we are actively seeking contributions to support a variety of initiatives specifically designed to enhance the CSP program and provide invaluable resources for our students.

  • Continued support of the ACPA Graduate Preparation Program Membership. This membership costs between $799 and $1,099 each year.
  • Establishment of the Tracy L. Davis CSP Endowment Fund. We are creating this fund in honor of Dr. Tracy Davis to support students facing emergency situations and to help cover the costs of conferences and other professional development opportunities. Tracy is retiring in May 2025 after serving the WIU CSP program for over 26 years. We will be actively promoting the fund for Giving Tuesday (Dec. 3) and the Western Challenge (April 24). However, you are welcome to contribute at any time. Stay tuned for more information soon!
  • Establishing an endowment fund takes time, but in the meantime, we want to assist our students in attending conferences. In 2025, we will host alumni receptions at both ACPA and NASPA to celebrate our alumni, connect them with current students, and honor Tracy. We invite you to help support this initiative. ACPA will take place in Long Beach, California, in February, while NASPA is scheduled for March in New Orleans.
  • Revitalizing the CSP office suite is one of our newest projects. Our CSP students are eager to transform the dull and uninspiring space in Horrabin Hall into a welcoming environment where they can relax, collaborate, plan cohort and recruitment events, and share the space with the undergraduate students they serve. A recent trip to surplus has provided us with couches, a new desk for our student worker, and additional furniture for the graduate assistant and reception areas. However, we also need to enhance the walls with signage and memorabilia that reflect WIU and the CSP program’s spirit.
  • This year, we launched a CSP Clothing Drive for WIU gear. We started collecting WIU memorabilia and clothing to distribute to our incoming cohort. Not all assistantship sites have the budget to provide polos or t-shirts, so sharing this clothing not only spreads WIU gear across campus but also helps our students feel a stronger connection to their new community. Support this initiative by donating any gear you no longer need and contributing to our foundation account. Your donations will allow us to purchase discounted items from the University Bookstore, WIU Athletics, and the local Goodwill.
  • Support our CSP students by helping to fund their textbooks. While we've successfully minimized the number of required textbooks by utilizing many free resources, students typically need at least two books each semester. Your contributions enable us to purchase electronic textbooks available in our university library. If we can raise sufficient funds for this initiative, we may also be able to provide textbooks for students to borrow from the department each semester.

How We Are Using Foundation Funds in 2024-2025

For the 2024-2025 academic year, the CSP program will be fortunate to do the following with generous alumni donations:

  • Pay registration costs for 20 students to attend the Student Affairs 101 Conference at Western Illinois University
  • Host an alumni reception at the ACPA 2025 Convention in Long Beach, California
  • Host an alumni reception at the NASPA 2025 Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Purchase an ACPA Graduate Preparation Program Membership for our students
  • Host a graduation celebration for the class of 2025
  • Award scholarships to first and second years

How We Used Foundation Funds in 2023-2024

For the 2023-2024 academic year, the CSP program was fortunate to do the following with generous alumni donations:

  • Award $4,500 in scholarships to first and second years
  • Send 10 students to Student Affairs 101 at Eastern Illinois University
  • Support a NASPA GAP leader's attendance at the annual NASPA conference in Seattle, Washington
  • Support a graduate student presenter's attendance at the annual NASPA conference in Seattle, Washington
  • Support a graduate student presenter's attendance at the annual ACPA convention in Chicago, Illinois
  • Host a graduation celebration for the class of 2024