The most ambitious fund-raising campaign in Scripps College’s 78-year history has surpassed its original $85 million goal, with gifts and pledges totaling $101 million.
A remarkable 87.4% of Scripps alumnae donated to the Campaign for the Scripps Woman, which began its public phase in 1999, and concluded June 30, 2004. The ten most significant gifts came from alumnae or their family foundations.
Alumnae gifts or bequests endowed nine faculty chairs. A campus commons was constructed, uniting and energizing the campus community. Donations provided for a new residence hall, a swimming pool, a Performing Arts Center, and the beginning construction of a recreation and fitness center. Among other efforts, several alumnae endowed New Generation scholarships, which provide full financial support to a student, three trips home per year, and one summer internship; these innovative offerings have helped attract some of the nations most outstanding high school graduates to Scripps.
“Our aim has always been to offer the best liberal arts education in the nation,” said President Nancy Y. Bekavac. “This generous outpouring of support from alumnae, parents, and friends will help ensure that we continue to do that. ”
The campaign targeted several key areas to strengthen and enhance the educational and co-curricular experience at Scripps: academic program and faculty support, students and campus community, scholarships and financial aid, facilities and buildings, historic preservation and maintenance, technology, new and emerging needs, and annual operation support.
“We are enormously in the debt of those whose exemplary gifts enabled Scripps to achieve its ambitious strategic goals,” said Martha H. Keates, vice president of development and college relations. “In particular, the outstanding support from alumnae and parents is a tremendous endorsement of a Scripps education.”
Mary Fraser Weis, director of the campaign, added: “I salute and thank each alumna, trustee, parent, foundation board, faculty member, staff member, and student who made this success possible through generosity and commitment. This is a remarkable achievement, it is one I hope we will all pause to savor and celebrate.”
Scripps College, the women’s college of The Claremont Colleges, has approximately 9,000 living alumnae and 810 students, and is ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the nation.
Campaign for the Scripps Woman Facts
- Campaign kickoff: January 1999
- Campaign completion: June 30, 2004
- Financial goal: $85 million
- Campaign attainment: $101 million
- Academic Program and Faculty Support: $22.7 million
- Facilities and Building Fund: $24.5 million
- Annual Operation Support: $14.7 million
- Scholarships and Financial Aid: $13.3 million
- New and Emerging Needs: $3.6 million
- Students and Campus Community: $3.1 million
- Other: $3 million
- Historic Preservation and Maintenance: $757,225.09
- Technology: $8,655
- Largest single gift: $9,387,689.00
- Support from alumnae: $66,906,436.21
- Alumnae participation: 87.4%
- Support from parents: $3,588,962.42
- Number of donors: 7,836