Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Jean and Christopher Callahan Fund for Student Success

Jean and Christopher Callahan Fund for Student Success

Learn more about your impact

Designed for maximum flexibility and responsiveness, the Jean and Christopher Callahan Fund for Student Success supports initiatives that benefit wide swaths of the student body and enables the college to respond quickly to individual student needs as they arise. Assistance may include an emergency fund to help students in crisis; training, workshops, classes or other interventions that benefit student health and success; physical spaces to promote wellness; reporting and research projects that shed light on student mental health and wellness; and more. The fund stems from Dean Callahan's unwavering "student first" ethos. Every decision he made over his 15-year tenure was driven by a deep and singular commitment to the success of his students in their classes, extracurricular activities, careers and in their mental health and emotional well-being.

When you contribute to the Jean and Christopher Callahan Fund for Student Success, you provide students with the critical support they need today and in the future, and you honor the enormous legacy of our founding dean.

Impact of Donor Support

  • More learners can pursue higher education. In 2022, 22,000 donors contributed $66.3 million for scholarships.
  • More students succeed. ASU ranks #1 among the state’s public universities for its 86% first-year retention rate thanks in part to donor-funded student success initiatives.
  • And donors helped ASU offer more than 4,500 hours of free tutoring.

Cronkite’s founding Dean was ahead of his time as he and his wife identified the importance of addressing the challenges life can so often throw a student’s way. The Jean and Christopher Callahan Fund for Student Success is a way for the school to quickly respond in times of crisis. Jean and Chris always put the emotional well-being of students first; donating to their Fund ensures that legacy lives on at Cronkite.

Anita Helt, vice president and general manager, ABC15 Arizona and CW61 Arizona, president, Cronkite Endowment Board of Trustees

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