President Rebecca M. Bergman announced the successful completion of Campaign Gustavus, the largest and most ambitious fundraising campaign in the history of Gustavus Adolphus College, at a dinner thanking donors on Thursday, Sept. 24. at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis and on campus at the 2015 Homecoming celebration on Saturday, Sept. 26.
With $170,300,000 in documented commitments, the completion of Campaign Gustavus is the next building block to ensure the College’s ability to educate and support students as they make their lives count by exemplifying Gustavus’s core values of Excellence, Community, Justice, Service, and Faith.
“At its core, Campaign Gustavus is about people and our active engagement in the future of the College,” Bergman said. “The Gustavus community nurtures and prepares students to lead lives of leadership and service. Our job is to open the doors of possibility for them, and our donors have led by example, showing leadership, vision, and service to the College.”
Campaign Gustavus included the largest single gift in the College’s history, an anonymous $25 million donation that will serve as the cornerstone of the renovation and expansion of the Alfred Nobel Hall of Science. Other transformative gifts were earmarked for the construction of Warren & Donna Beck Academic Hall and the renovation of A.H. Anderson Hall.
Vice President for Advancement Thomas W. Young ’88 echoed Bergman’s thoughts. “I’m humbled by the generosity of our donors,” he said. “The success of the campaign is a reaffirmation of the greater Gustavus community’s belief and trust in the College moving forward.”
Over 100 new endowment funds were created during the campaign that will directly support faculty-student interaction, research, and scholarships for Gustavus students. Nine specific gifts created endowed faculty positions in seven different academic departments.
“The focus on teaching and learning was intentional,” campaign co-chair Warren Beck said. “To equip our students for life in the 21st century we have to connect them with faculty members, research opportunities, internships, and mentorships that will prepare them for success. The completion of Campaign Gustavus provides resources necessary to move the College confidently into the future.”
Launched in June of 2008, the campaign sought $150 million in gifts by the time Gustavus celebrated Homecoming in 2015. Nearly 20,000 individuals contributed to Campaign Gustavus.
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