Fundraising Campaign Reaches Milestone

Gifts big and little – and each of them important – poured in during the last week of June, building on the momentum of the public launch of Wesleyan’s THIS IS WHY campaign to bring the grand total raised to somewhere north of $304 million.

The campaign – which will devote the great majority of funds raised to financial aid at Wesleyan – wrapped up fiscal 2013 with cash and pledges from nearly 14,000 alumni, parents and friends.

“I’m more than thrilled,” said Vice President for University Relations Barbara-Jan Wilson. “This is the best fundraising year we’ve ever had. I think so many of our gifts were inspired by the purpose of the campaign, to raise money for financial aid. More than half goes directly to the endowment.”

Building on the campaign’s trio of themes: Access, Inquiry and Impact, fundraising efforts focused on individual reasons for supporting a Wesleyan education. Many alumni cited their Wes experience as a critical component of their success in life.

“With the help of our generous alumni, parents and friends – 13,843 of them – Wesleyan will continue to be accessible,” said President Michael Roth ’78. “By that I mean true accessibility – meeting the financial need of our students, ensuring that they graduate not burdened by heavy debt, and holding tuition increases to inflation. Our commitment is to provide access for talented students from diverse backgrounds while preserving the superb academic experience they seek at Wesleyan. Last year a record number – nearly 11,000 – applied from around the world.”

The public phase of the campaign began in March with a series of events showcasing Wesleyan alumni in entertainment, politics and public life and urges alumni to add their “THIS IS WHY” stories to the campaign web site www.wesleyan.edu/thisiswhy.