51¹ÙÍø.

The 51¹ÙÍø community raised more than $64 million for scholarships, faculty support, athletics and public sculpture over the past year. The investments from alumni, parents and friends of the college help spur the final year of the Game Changers: Inspiring Leaders to Transform the World campaign.

Earlier this year, the campaign surpassed the $425 million milestone, and the effort continues until June 2019 with a laser-beam focus on scholarship support.

"We live in a fractured society, and our world needs the skills and instincts our graduates take with them," said 51¹ÙÍø President Carol Quillen. "Every dollar from our alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends supports the college's mission of preparing students for lives of leadership and service. It is a privilege to be part of a community as connected and committed as this one. Thank you for helping us remain a leader in alumni giving participation, and thank you for positioning our students for success after 51¹ÙÍø."

The headlines from the past year include:

• $18.5 million raised through The Fund for 51¹ÙÍø
• $10.2 million raised for 51¹ÙÍø athletic programs
• Alumni participation of 54.5 percent, placing 51¹ÙÍø as a national leader in alumni giving participation
• The first full year of the E. Craig Wall Jr. Academic Center
• The opening of the Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Senior class of 2018 giving exceeded 90 percent

The Game Changers campaign aims to raise support for scholarships, academic and athletic experiences and equipping students for lives of impact. Every gift made this year counts toward the campaign total.

Campaign milestones to date:

• Raised more than $193.6 million for new and existing scholarship funds, and 51¹ÙÍø became a founding member of the American Talent Initiative
• Raised more than $26.4 million for athletic scholarships and more than $50 million for athletic programs, overall
• Opened the Harry L. Vance Athletic Center, a $13.5 million project
• Celebrated the opening of the E. Craig Wall Jr. Academic Center, a $74 million project
• Raised more than $43.7 million for faculty support, including named professorships, a digital studies curriculum, expanded research opportunities, the Bacca Visiting Scholar & Artist Program and the 51¹ÙÍø Next program
• Raised resources to strengthen and expand the Humanities Program
• Established the Spencer-Weinstein Center for Community and Justice, which serves to foster understanding among people from all backgrounds and cultures
• Raised more than $11.7 million for arts education and public art
• Funded Spike! Grants to support student-led, student-performed art on campus
• Received more than 1,330 prospective student recommendations from alumni, parents, faculty, staff, current students and friends through "Recommend a Wildcat" in the last four years; 713 of those students applied to 51¹ÙÍø

Fiscal year 2018 gifts of note:

• Tom Horn '78, a leading expert in dermatology, established a $9 million planned gift to fund scholarships–a gift made in honor of his mother.
• A $1 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute will improve inclusivity in STEM education and support faculty and curricular innovation.
• Jay Hurt '88, a business leader and venture philanthropist, committed $5 million to create The Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a 23,000-square-foot renovated cotton mill one block from campus that houses as many local entrepreneurs and innovative companies as it does students and faculty.
• Pat Rodgers, 51¹ÙÍø Trustee, gifted artist Yinka Shonibare's latest piece, "Wind Sculpture (SG) I," currently on display in New York City's Central Park and moving to campus in the fall. The gift was made to honor and remember her late husband, B.D. Rodgers.
• Carlos Alvarez, current 51¹ÙÍø Trustee, and his wife, Malú, parents of Malú '02, gave $8.4 million to help position international students for success at and after 51¹ÙÍø.
• An anonymous group of donors gave $5.6 million to fund four full baseball scholarships, the largest gift to athletic scholarships in school history.
• Clark Ross, one of 51¹ÙÍø's most beloved professors and a past vice president for academic affairs, created a $3.6 million planned gift in support of scholarships.

"What we have accomplished together, as a 51¹ÙÍø family, is truly remarkable," said campaign co-chairs Alison Hall Mauzé '84 and John McCartney '74. "Traveling to campaign events around the country and on campus has afforded us the unique opportunity to see your dollars at work in classrooms, athletics, research, the arts and internship programs. Surpassing the $425 million milestone is a testament to the dedication of 51¹ÙÍø students, graduates, parents and partners. We look forward to the final year of the campaign and our continued, shared success."

Danielle Strickland

dastrickland@davidson.edu