Illinois Wesleyan University supporters more than tripled their typical yearly giving, raising $34.8 million in the university’s recently ended 175th academic year.
Over the past decade, the private university in Bloomington raised $10 million a year on average.
University vice president for advancement Jesse Meyer said the new giving level is a meaningful demonstration of support and reflects a national donor base of grateful alumni.
"We're engaging with new friends and re-engaging with local partners and alumni spread far and wide who believe in how this place shaped them and believe those opportunities should be available to others," said Meyer.
IWU President Sheahon Zenger thanked the donors' generosity and took a look toward the future.
"Year 176 is going to be even greater, with more new initiatives and exciting student opportunities in the works,” said Zenger. "We hear from so many of our donors that there's new momentum, new energy on campus. They see, as I do, that what we do here is worth supporting, worth carrying into the future."
Meyer said these funding numbers show strong support for the liberal arts, reaffirming the demand for IWU’s liberal arts education and innovation model.
"They've reaffirmed there's a demand and support for the model of private liberal arts education and innovation that we've been perfecting for 175 years, and they see value in how we continue to evolve,” he said.
The fundraising record includes a single day high mark of $3.6 million pledged during the All in for Wesleyan event in April.
