College of Idaho sets giving record, No. 2 in Northwest
2011. 07. 01.
Alumni and friends demonstrated overwhelming support for The College of Idaho and its commitment to preparing students who thrive by setting a new record for alumni giving in the fiscal year ending yesterday, June 30.
More than 2,400 C of I alumni – nearly 36 percent of the total alumni population of Idaho's oldest private liberal arts college – made a gift to the College during the past year. Approximately 200 more alumni made financial contributions to the C of I than the previous fiscal year, when the College also set a record with a 33 percent alumni giving rate.
College of Idaho alumni collectively gave gifts totaling more than $940,000, ensuring students have access to some of the strongest scholarship programs in the region.
The College of Idaho's alumni giving percentage is the second highest in the Pacific Northwest, trailing only Whitman College (41 percent) and well ahead of Reed College (27 percent) and Willamette University (25 percent). The C of I has nearly doubled its alumni giving rate in the past six years despite a challenging national economic climate, climbing into the top 10 percent of all colleges in the United States.
“Our alumni, parents and friends know the tremendous value of a College of Idaho education,” said Tara Wensel, coordinator of the annual fund drive. “They take pride in our outstanding professors and treasure the lifelong friendships that develop between students and our faculty and staff. They know that their gifts will ensure current and future students will enjoy that same experience and prepare for leadership roles in their professions, communities and the world.”
Wensel noted that gifts will continue to arrive in the mail and add to the total over the coming week.
The College of Idaho's new alumni giving record follows the February launch of the public phase of its $175 million Advance The Legacy campaign (www.collegeofidaho.edu/campaign). The campaign, which has raised more than $110 million to date, will strengthen the C of I's 120-year legacy of great teaching that prepares successful graduates.
“Colleges with high levels of support from their alumni are in a much stronger position to compete for major grants from national foundations,” C of I development director Jim Hansen noted. Among the prestigious grants the College secured this year are $500,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities and $40,000 from the Twin Falls-based Seagraves Family Foundation.
“The College of Idaho's alumni and friends are telling us loud and clear that this one of the best places in the country for students to pursue their passions and reach their potential,” Hansen said.
Founded in 1891, The College of Idaho is the state's oldest private liberal arts college. It has a century-old tradition of educating some of the most accomplished graduates in Idaho, including six Rhodes Scholars, three Marshall Scholars, and another ten Truman and Goldwater Scholars. The College is located on a beautiful campus in Caldwell, Idaho. Its distinctive PEAK curriculum challenges students to attain competencies in the four knowledge peaks of the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and a professional field, enabling them to graduate with an academic major and three minors in four years. For more information on The College of Idaho, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.