by Aaron Butts
It’s hard to put a value on the college experience. Students pay ever increasing amounts of money to attend the university annually, but a dollar amount is hard to place on the experiences and the memories that are shaped here, until a few days ago when the university received its largest donation ever, totaling $4 million and was donated anonymously.
For many whom graduate Capital, their involvement with the university isn’t limited to the time that they spend as an undergraduate. For many, college is a transformative experience that forever shapes one’s future and leaves a lasting legacy with those that attended here.
“This gift is a powerful testament to Capital’s impact on people’s lives and how that impact compels them to give back to the University.” University President Denvy Bowman said.
President Bowman, along with the administration, the students, and the alumni are incredibly excited about the prospects that such a sizeable donation brings. One person in particular who is very excited about the future of this donation is Executive Vice President for Planning and Advancement Kevin Sayers.
“These are just really authentic people,” said Sayers, “and they probably came to this decision decades after their time as a student, as a young alumni, and then an older alumni. And they are wise enough to recognize this opportunity.”
Both Sayers and Bowman were excited about what this means for the future of Capital, but it also spoke to the university’s history as well. Many conversations have been had with the donors and so the intent of the donation is well known to the administration, “They want to give back to the university that had such a large impact on their lives.” Sayers said.
But one of the greatest things about this donation is that it isn’t for a set purpose for the university, “We have the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the donors because up to this point it’s still an undesignated donation.” Sayers said.
What this means is that through conversations with the donors, the university is nearly able to use this donation in any way they see fit.
“There’s a focus on the areas of greatest need.” Sayers said, although because it is still in the early stages he was not willing or able to go into any real detail. “They were incredibly generous in making their donation undesignated and willingness to have a conversation about the areas of greatest need for the institution.”
What Sayers mostly talked about was the foundation that can be laid with this donation. “While most of the answers I will give you are conceptual in nature, they are important building blocks in setting us up for a long series of successes and/or improvement in the student experience as a whole.” Sayers said. “One of those initiatives was developing a stronger connection with our community as well as reinvigorating our alumni-base and I think this is an example of the university having a significant impact on a person.”
Another focus for Sayers is on the “Strategic Plan” which is a general plan to support multiple different areas of the university. “The strategic plan is providing that focus to make the impact and make the improvements that the institution realizes much broader, much more integrated, and much more systematic.” Sayers said.
Although for some students, when asked about where to spend the money they will point to their residence halls, tuition costs, or the condition of many of their classrooms and know right away where to spend the money. But according to Sayers it’s a little more complicated than that.
He pointed out some recent noticeable beautification improvements to the campus in the past few years such as the new scoreboard, the library renovation, and the fountains, “You can see examples of projects that get the support, get the implementation, get the impact that we desire to reach students.” Sayers said. But realistically, limitations in resources make such projects as building a new residence hall or academic building a lot harder to actually put into action. This is why the administration is so excited that this donation has not been designated for any particular purpose.
“I wish I could list all of my plans for the institution but the truth is simply that we don’t know yet.” Sayers said
“The donors are genuinely gladdened that they are able to make such a positive difference in so many lives for so many years to come.” Bowman said. “The donors often visit our campus, and so I have thanked them (more than once) for their historic investment, which will have a profound and lasting effect on students. For my part, I hope that this wonderful gift will inspire others to support the University through philanthropy and service.”
“This extraordinary gift—which will benefit generations of Capital students and faculty—reflects the warm and rewarding relationship the donors have enjoyed with many members of the Capital community over a period of several years.” Bowman Said.
While there is a tremendous focus on the alumni, there is also a need for the administration to see where the current students want to see their university improving.
“What we really need is that student participation, and student feedback.” Sayers said. “Student involvement has been really important to us and I don’t know if that has been an emphasis in previous years. We have been very intentional in making sure that that involvement applies to all generations of our students.”
abutts@capital.edu
