Francoise Aylmer will resign after an embarrassing episode, including a $100 million pledge.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Francoise Aylmer, head of Portland State University Foundation and VP of advancement, will resign after an embarrassing episode, including a $100 million pledge.
She will step down on Sept. 1.
The school issued the following statement:
Under Ms. Aylmer’s leadership, the Foundation raised more than $46 million in private gifts for PSU in the fiscal year that ended on June 30, an 18 percent increase over the prior year. This marks the fifth year in a row that private giving has increased by double digits. Private support has nearly quadrupled from the time Ms. Aylmer joined PSU five years ago, when it raised $12.8 million. This equated to over $26 million being transferred to PSU to cover student scholarships, faculty salaries, programs and capital projects among a few. This is equal to 5 percent of PSU’s budget.
In recent days, there have been a number of reports in local news media about a possible gift to the University that was not fulfilled. Even though this gift was never announced by PSU, the media coverage about the promised gift has overshadowed the many achievements of the Foundation and the University. In offering her resignation, Ms. Aylmer stated that she hopes her departure will help the Foundation continue its good work without the distractions caused by the gift controversy.
The Foundation is grateful to Ms. Aylmer for her accomplishments and contributions to the success of the Foundation, and wishes her well in her future endeavors.
Aylmer’s resignation comes after a week of scrutiny due to a dubious donation pledge made by a Portland man who said he would give the school a $100 million gift.
The Oregonian ran a report that called into question the potential donor’s ability to pay after the university canceled an event that would’ve included the governor and mayor.
RELATED NEWS: Portland State’s bizarre $100M donation story
