Greatness is within us. That is the belief that propelled our Gettysburg College community to raise a record-setting $160 million through a seven-year comprehensive campaign.
With a goal of $150 million, Gettysburg Great: The Campaign for Our College was the largest and most ambitious fundraising effort in the College’s 186-year history. The Campaign focused on five key priorities to enhance the Gettysburg experience: student scholarships, faculty support, engaged learning opportunities, global initiatives, and annual giving through the Gettysburg Fund and Orange & Blue Club.
In total, our College received gifts from 25,132 alumni, parents, employees, and friends—a testament to Gettysburg’s mission, values, and relevance in the world.
“I am humbled not only by how many of you chose to give back during this Campaign, but also by how far you reached to assure that our College continues to provide an exceptional liberal arts education into the future,” said President Janet Morgan Riggs ’77 at the Campaign Celebration during Homecoming Weekend on campus.
Through the Gettysburg Great Campaign, our donors created 132 endowed scholarships and 100 Gettysburg Fund Named Scholarships—totaling nearly $50 million in scholarship support.
“A student scholarship is about more than just dollars and cents,” said Riggs in her Celebration address. “It translates to four words that breathe life into a student’s dreams, four words that can change their future forever—I believe in you. There is no greater message for young people trying to make their way in the world, and you provide this for our students with your support.”
Of course, to produce great graduates, we need great teachers. Gifts to the Gettysburg Great Campaign endowed seven professorships and one expert-in-residence position. In addition, donors supported Gettysburg faculty with funds to conduct research, travel to conferences, and secure state-of-the-art classroom equipment.
Investments in our faculty have proven fruitful. Gettysburg College was recently ranked #15 in the nation among all colleges and universities by The Princeton Review for the Best Classroom Experience—and in U.S. News & World Report, Gettysburg College ranked #28 in the country for the Best Classroom Teaching.
During our Campaign, we also created 315 new undergraduate research opportunities for Gettysburg students—and 37 funds for career-related experiences and other co-curricular offerings across campus and around the globe. These funds helped strengthen not only our nationally recognized Center for Career Engagement and Center for Public Service, but several other marquee programs as well, including the Garthwait Leadership Center, Civil War Institute, Eisenhower Institute, Sunderman Conservatory of Music, and Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation Initiative (E-SII).
On campus, the impact of the Campaign is evident through our new Fourjay Welcome Center; renovated Hatter Planetarium, science labs, and athletic facilities; and countless other areas, including our two new Anatomage Tables—the most technologically advanced virtual dissection tables in the world today.
Truly, the Gettysburg Great Campaign has transformed our College—and the lives of our students.
“This Campaign has always been about our students—empowering them to make a difference in the world,” said Trustee and Former Chair of the Board Jim Chemel ’71. “We look forward to seeing the many ways they will benefit from our community’s tremendous generosity for years to come.”
Moving forward, our fundraising focus turns to advancing the College’s strategic plan, The Unfinished Work. Inspired by Lincoln’s legacy, this plan emphasizes three key themes: Impact; Inclusion and Internationalization; and Innovation—all components that are critical to cultivating the transformative leaders of tomorrow.
To learn more about the impact of Gettysburg Great: The Campaign for Our College, watch for our Campaign Final Report hitting mailboxes soon along with the fall edition of Gettysburg magazine.
