Giving to the College

Tim Chapin, Ph.D.
Dean Tim Chapin

“The college relies on the support of our alumni and friends to continue its longstanding tradition of excellence. These gifts have played an essential role in our ability to educate and train the next generation of leaders and provide students with exceptional social science and public policy education.

To our current donors, I want to thank you for your generous support of our many programs.  You can take great pride in the fact that you are making a significant difference in the lives of our students.

If you have not yet made the choice to become a donor, I encourage you to explore our website and see for yourself the many great things going on in the college. Once you do, I am convinced you will want to be part of the growing number of alumni and friends investing in our outstanding students at this fine university.

All contributions, regardless of size, are important and highly valued. Note also that gifts can be earmarked for a program or use of your choosing.

– Tim Chapin, Dean, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy

Give Now

Katherine Cline Ashler, Senior Director of Development

Katherine Cline Ashler

The College of Social Sciences and Public Policy is pleased to announce that Katherine Cline Ashler has joined our team as our new Senior Director of Development.

In this role, she will lead COSSPP’s fundraising efforts, manage the College’s development team, and work closely with our alumni and friends to connect them with opportunities to support student success and make transformational gifts that align with their interests and values.

“Katherine is an experienced and passionate fundraiser, and we are thrilled that she will be leading COSSPP’s donor relations and development efforts,” said Dean Tim Chapin, Ph.D. “This work is fundamental to the College’s success, as our donors’ philanthropy makes it possible for us to provide a range of opportunities for students that cannot be covered by State of Florida funds. I am confident that Katherine’s extensive experience in fundraising and donor relations will help our College achieve new levels of success and growth.”

The College relies on the support of our alumni and friends to continue our longstanding tradition of excellence. Our alumni and friends’ gifts of their time and treasure play an essential role in our ability to educate and train the next generation of leaders and provide students with exceptional social science and public policy education.

“I’m looking forward to connecting with our College’s successful and inspirational alumni and friends to help them bring their philanthropic visions to life,” Cline Ashler said.

For more information about Katherine, read the full story here!

If you would like to discuss making a gift, please contact Katherine at kcline@foundation.fsu.edu or call 850-294-3343.


Ryan Sonntag, Associate Director of Development

Ryan Sonntag

The College of Social Sciences and Public Policy is pleased to announce that Katherine Cline Ashler has joined our team as our new Senior Director of Development.

In this role, he will work with alumni, parents, current and former faculty, and philanthropic leaders to connect them with opportunities to support the success of our incredible students, faculty, and programs.

“We’re pleased to welcome Ryan to COSSPP’s Development Team,” said Dean Tim Chapin, Ph.D. “Their work is fundamental to the college’s success, as our donors’ philanthropy makes it possible for us to provide a range of opportunities for students that cannot be covered by State of Florida funds.”

The college relies on the support of our alumni and friends to continue our longstanding tradition of excellence. Our alumni and friends’ gifts of their time and treasure play an essential role in our ability to educate and train the next generation of leaders and provide students with exceptional social science and public policy education.

“I am looking forward to working with COSSPP’s incredible alumni to build on 50 years of excellence,” Sonntag said. “The opportunity to give my time and talents to benefit my alma mater is a privilege, and I am excited to be a part of FSU’s legacy!”

For more information about Ryan, read the full story here!

If you would like to discuss making a gift, please contact Ryan at rsonntag@advance.fsu.edu or call (850) 644-6284.


When you give to the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, you are supporting our faculty, students, and programming, helping us continue to be a marketplace of ideas and advance the academic excellence of our programs!

Development Goals

Our objective over the 2022-2026 period is to strengthen these initiatives:

  • Foster excellence in undergraduate programs to prepare students for life in a global society.
  • Increase opportunities for career-enhancing applied master’s degrees
  • Engage doctoral students in research that provides solutions to today’s most pressing problems.
  • Recruit and retain the best faculty by increasing named professorships and eminent scholar chairs.

Gift Types

There are many ways to support the College and opportunities that most closely align with your interests and priorities. Some donors choose to support students through scholarships and awards to advance their academic journey. Other donors are motivated to create opportunities for faculty to grow and flourish in their research and teaching through faculty support. Many donors want to assist the College with its most pressing needs and provide unrestricted funding to be utilized across the College for immediate and emerging opportunities for all our students and programs.  

Your gifts will create pathways of success for programs, faculty, and students preparing for meaningful careers, advanced professional development, and active roles in public life. 

College-Wide Annual Fund Gifts

Annual fund gifts to the General Development Fund are among the most important and valuable to the College as they can address critical College-wide initiatives and needs across all departments and programs. Specifically, this support helps us provide faculty, student, and programmatic support for student groups, academic symposia and conference travel, opportunities for our faculty and students to share the knowledge they gain inside and outside of the classroom, and critical needs opportunities to enrich the academic experience. 

Department and Designated Fund Gifts

Want to support the department or program you graduated from? What about one of our vital centers and institutes? (Choose a specific area from the giving form drop-down menu.)

Endowed Gifts

Establishing a permanent endowment fund means that your gift will be awarded in perpetuity, and your legacy will continue to benefit not only the students, faculty, and programs of today but also in the future. Only the annual investment income generated by the endowment is used each year to support a donor-designated purpose. The endowment principle remains unspent to ensure your legacy is preserved. 

Endowment funds provide an opportunity to name an award, scholarship, fellowship, professorship, or program in honor or memory of the donor or any person chosen by the donor. (For more about endowments, please contact our Senior Development Director, Katherine Cline Ashler, at 850-294-3343 or by email.)

Planned Gifts

What will your legacy be? Many donors are taking steps through bequests or planned gifts to the college to make a difference for generations of students in the future. Your bequests and other planned gifts have a profound and lasting impact on the college’s program development, scholarship, and research. Careful estate planning also yields special advantages for donors and their heirs as they provide support in a significant and lasting way. (Learn more.)

Stock Transfer

Stocks are easy to give and offer great tax advantages. By donating publicly traded stocks, bonds or mutual funds, you avoid paying capital gains tax on the securities and receive an immediate charitable income tax deduction for the full market value of the gifted securities. The best stocks to give are those that have significantly increased in value—particularly those stocks producing a low yield that have been owned longer than one year. 

For more information about making a stock transfer, please contact our Senior Director of Development, Katherine Cline Ashler, with any questions or needs at kcline@advance.fsu.edu, call 850-294-3343, or use this link for specific instructions.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAMS YOUR SUPPORT HELPS US OFFER STUDENTS