For immediate release
March 12, 2002
Mount Holyoke College to Expand Campaign Goal
by $50 Million
Leading Liberal Arts Institution Sets New
Goal of $250 Million by End of 2003
South Hadley, MA---The Mount Holyoke College Board of Trustees
has approved a $50-million increase to the College's already successful
comprehensive fundraising campaign. The College announced in January
that The Campaign for Mount Holyoke College had surpassed its
initial, $200-million goal two years ahead of the Campaign's conclusion,
slated for the end of 2003. The public phase of the Campaign began
in October 1998.
"This is a time for celebration for Mount Holyoke, but it
is also a time to build on the remarkable momentum that the Campaign
has brought forth in support of this superb institution,"
said Harriet Levine Weissman '58, cochair of the Campaign and
board member. "Reaching our initial goal two years ahead
of schedule is a tribute to the commitment of Mount Holyoke's
alumnae and friends to the College. Now, we must use that energy
to bring further benefit to the institution."
The board voted on Saturday, March 9 to expand the Campaign goal
to $250 million. The proposal was put forward by the Campaign
Steering Committee, which approved the increase at a February
meeting.
The success of the Campaign to date has already enabled Mount
Holyoke to move ahead in a number of key areas, including endowment
growth, new and renovated facilities, and new program development.
In fact, over $107 million has been raised in gifts and pledges
for Mount Holyoke's endowment; and, more than $40 million has
been raised for new building and renovation, including a state-of-the-art
unified science center and renovated music and art facilities.
Important new programs have also been established, including the
Harriet L. and Paul M. Weissman Center for Leadership and the
Center for Environmental Literacy. In addition, the Campaign has
spurred unprecedented support for the Annual Fund, which by year's
end will have raised $40 million in the Campaign years.
Campaign goals were shaped by the wide-ranging Plan for Mount
Holyoke 2003, which was developed by the College community under
the leadership of President Joanne V. Creighton and approved by
the board of trustees in May 1997.
Now, the Campaign is poised to expand on its success and will
earmark funds raised in the next two years to expand on the impact
of dollars already raised for key College priorities. Priorities
for the Campaign's next phase include:
- Endowment support for faculty positions, faculty and student
research, and student financial aid.
- Endowment, restricted and unrestricted, to support initiatives
in technology and internationalism.
- New equipment to support the unified science center.
- A Campus Master Plan, now being developed, will be part of the
College’s vision for the future and will present numerous
opportunities for giving. Among possible proposals that may arise
from that process are modernization of residence halls and academic
spaces, expansion of technology throughout the campus, and improvement
of the environmental sustainability of the community.
In addition, the College is now embarking on a new planning process
toward a Plan for Mount Holyoke 2010. It is expected that this
new plan will inform future fundraising goals.
"During the course of the Campaign, we have seen support
for Mount Holyoke rise to unprecedented levels, with more than
22,000 alumnae, parents, and friends making contributions to date,"
said Eleanor Graham Claus '55, chair of the board and cochair
of the Campaign. "We have tapped into a storehouse of goodwill
that is continually reinforced by the College's ongoing successes.
Our challenge is to carry this energy and momentum into the years
to come–to the end of the Campaign and beyond it well into
the new century. I have every confidence that we will do this."
