Written by John Finn 330-263-2145 Email Story | Print Story

October 18, 2003

Wooster President R. Stanton Hales announces the $122 million goal for "Independent Minds, the Campaign for Wooster," at a gala dinner in Kittredge Hall Saturday night.

WOOSTER, Ohio - The College of Wooster kicked off its largest fund-raising campaign ever today by announcing the largest single gift in the school's history - $9 million from The Walton Family Foundation, Inc. The announcement came at a gala dinner attended by more than 200 alumni, trustees, faculty, students and friends of the college in Kittredge Hall on Wooster's campus. -

One million dollars will be used to establish an endowed scholarship fund. The foundation has asked the college to use the remaining $8 million in whatever way will best ensure the overall success of the campaign.

The Walton Family Foundation, Inc. was established as the culmination of the philanthropic interests of the family of Sam M. and Helen R. Walton. The family's purpose in establishing the foundation was to focus their philanthropic efforts to assure that their charitable giving would have the most positive impact. Rob Walton, chairman of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., attended The College of Wooster for two years before transferring to the University of Arkansas. He served as a trustee of the college from 1986 to 2001.

In all, Independent Minds: The Campaign for Wooster seeks to raise $122 million for capital projects, student scholarships, and academic programs over the next four years. Including the $9 million gift announced tonight, the college has raised just over $80 million since the so-called "quiet phase" of the campaign began in July 2000.

Some tangible results of that effort are already visible on campus: Gault Admissions Center, Longbrake Student Wellness Center, and Burton D. Morgan Hall, Wooster's newest academic building, were all funded by generous campaign gifts. So was Bornhuetter Hall, a 183-bed student residence hall that will be ready for occupancy next fall.

Other benefits of the money raised to date are less obvious, but no less concrete, including several new endowed professorships and a number of endowed scholarships.

"For the last three years, trustees and close friends of the college have not only identified needs, they have made extraordinary commitments in order to meet them," said R. Stanton Hales, Wooster's president. "Members of the board of trustees have together contributed nearly $25 million of the $80 million raised to date."

"We've come a long way in the campaign, but the most challenging - and exciting - period lies ahead," added James T. Clarke '59, the campaign chair. "With the launch this weekend of the public phase we extend our hand to the greater Wooster family of alumni and friends¸Together we can help transform Wooster into what it can be Ü a nationally recognized liberal arts college with lofty goals, providing an exceptional educational experience."

Two major capital projects remain to be funded: renovation of Kauke Hall and construction of a 60-bed residence hall.

Built in 1901 with a challenge grant from Andrew Carnegie, Kauke is the college's most identifiable building and its symbolic centerpiece. For more than a century, every Wooster student has had at least one class there. Last renovated in the 1960s, the building "is showing its age," Hales says. Dropped ceilings conceal original woodwork and obscure windows. Classrooms show the wear and tear of constant use. Offices have been carved out of storage rooms. There are no public spaces where students and faculty can gather before and after class. A top-to-bottom interior renovation will restore Kauke's original beauty, while also updating its technology infrastructure and mechanical systems.

The new residence hall will, along with the addition of Bornhuetter Hall, allow the college to turn crowded double rooms in three existing buildings into singles.

In addition to these bricks and mortar projects, the college hopes to raise $53 million in new endowment.

"The endowment is the foundation that provides long-term financial stability for the college," said James R. Wilson '63, chair of Wooster's board of trustees. "It provides a significant portion of our operating budget each year and allows us to weather the tough times while continuing to position ourselves among the highest quality small liberal arts colleges in the nation."

Endowed professorships help the college attract and retain the best teacher-scholars, while endowed scholarships assist talented and motivated students who would not otherwise be able to attend Wooster. Endowment income also supports curriculum enhancements, distinguished speakers and cultural events, and Independent Study, Wooster's signature academic program, in which every senior creates an original research project, written work, performance or art exhibit, supported one-on-one by a faculty mentor.

"Independent Study is a distinctive approach to liberal arts education," Hales says, "but it is not an inexpensive one. It takes faculty as dedicated to teaching, advising and mentoring their students as they are to their scholarly work. It takes first-class facilities. And it takes the resources to attract bright, motivated students to Wooster. Independent Minds: The Campaign for Wooster will help us continue to provide all those things."