By: Sage Salone
Every year, Homecoming provides an opportunity for alumni and community partners to show their support for the university. One way they do so is through on-field check presentations during the football game.
This year, five checks totaling more than $350,000 were presented during the Homecoming football game, which drew roughly 48,000 fans.
The check presentations are part of Norfolk State’s annual fundraising efforts, which operate on a calendar year beginning in January. The Division of University Advancement and the Athletics Department coordinate sponsorships and donations independently and, at times, jointly. Some of these contributions are announced during the football game.
Assistant Vice President for Development Shana James highlighted how Homecoming brings together the Advancement team’s fundraising efforts.
“The field check presentation is just one small way to recognize some of the generosity of our alumni and friends,” James said.
The donors invited onto the field represented a range of alumni and supporters whose contributions benefited areas including business, athletics, music, performing arts, and cancer awareness.
One of the five checks was a $150,000 contribution from Sophia Harris, whose husband, David, a Norfolk State alumnus, died earlier this year. The contribution, earmarked for the Harris family’s endowment fund at Norfolk State, is designated to support students in the School of Business, from which David graduated in 2005.
A separate $25,000 check was presented by the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, a women’s cancer awareness organization, according to a Facebook post. Leading up to the Homecoming game, the organization hosted a three-day awareness tour on campus.
Homecoming donors also included Black Greek-letter organizations. On Saturday, the Delta Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.’s Spring 1996 line presented a $32,500 check at the game, marking its 30th anniversary. Additionally, at a private reception Friday, past members of the Epsilon Theta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. made contributions totaling $16,600, including $7,300 to the university’s endowment and $9,300 to the NSU Foundation.
Donor contributions this year follow a major fundraising milestone for the university. In 2020, Norfolk State launched the “Now Is Our Time” campaign, which concluded in 2025 after raising more than $147 million, exceeding its original fundraising goal of $90 million.
Donations made during this year’s Homecoming are included in the 2026 fundraising year, which ends in December.
Kaylah Ussin contributed to this report.
