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Business North - Around The Region - Duluth & Superior Newspaper
St.. Scholastica announces successful conclusion of record-breaking campaign
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12/7/2006 |
DULUTH – The College of St. Scholastica has announced the successful conclusion of the Imagine Tomorrow fundraising campaign, a six-year effort that has raised $34.6 million.
That total is well above the campaign’s goal of $31 million, and six months ahead of the scheduled finish in June 2007.
The $34.6 million is three times as large as the last fundraising campaign conducted by the Catholic Benedictine college. Gifts came from more than 7,000 distinct donors, including individuals, businesses, nonprofit organizations and foundations.
“Imagine Tomorrow has already enhanced the St. Scholastica experience for our students of today,” noted Dr. Larry Goodwin, the private college’s president, “and its good effects will be felt for generations of students to come.
“We are grateful for the tremendous support here in Duluth and throughout the country.”
The campaign’s accomplishments include:
27 new endowed scholarships for students;
a fund for the protection and improvement of the touchstone of campus, Tower Hall, as a center of learning;
establishment of the Braegelman Catholic Studies program, which is bringing learned scholars to campus for the benefit of students and the broader community;
construction of the Wellness Center.
The $10 million Wellness Center, which opened in 2004, is a 63,000-square-foot facility that includes two running tracks, four multipurpose courts, the area’s tallest climbing wall, an aerobics/dance room, a cardio fitness center and a free weights room.
“Last year there were 85,000 visits to the Wellness Center,” Goodwin said. “It has led our transformation into a residential campus.”
The Imagine Tomorrow campaign has added $6.3 million in cash to St. Scholastica’s endowment, which stands at a record $25 million, with pledges and commitments for an additional $10 million expected as planned gifts.
Imagine Tomorrow’s success has had positive intangible effects as well, Goodwin said.
“Research shows that awareness of the College is up. The campaign has generated positive media coverage from its earliest days. It has spurred relationships with institutions and individuals who help us carry forward our mission and achieve our strategic vision throughout Minnesota at our satellite campuses in Brainerd, St. Paul, St. Cloud and Rochester.”
Imagine Tomorrow was chaired by Karen Alworth of Duluth, a 1982 graduate of St. Scholastica. She led efforts by more than 100 volunteers.
“The $34.6 million raised is particularly significant,” she said, “because initially consultants predicted we could raise only about $20 million.”
Del Case, St. Scholastica’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement, led the campaign’s professional staff.
“Volunteers, staff and I traveled coast to coast to help alumni and friends of St. Scholastica connect wih the campaign,” Case said. “But we found our greatest support right here at home. The Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica set the bar early on, with a $3 million gift. This past summer they made a significant capstone gift that put us over our goal of $31 million.”
St. Scholastica was founded by the Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica in 1912. Today the College is independent, but the Sisters remain its sponsors.
The College announced the Imagine Tomorrow campaign’s success first to its students, at a campus pizza party on Tuesday night, and at a holiday party for friends of the College.
St. Scholastica is accepting gifts for Imagine Tomorrow through Dec. 31, 2006.
The College of St. Scholastica is regularly recognized as one of the finest colleges in the Midwest. The 2007 “America's Best Colleges” survey by U.S. News & World Report magazine ranks St. Scholastica in the top tier of Midwestern universities. The Washington Post has rated St. Scholastica as one of the nation’s 100 “hidden gems” among U.S. colleges and universities.
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