About the Campaign
Having Light: The Campaign for Wittenberg University aspires to raise $100 million in support of all that defines us: the people, who inquire, create, inspire, and compete here; the place, where we come together as a community and welcome others to learn and grow; and the present, when the next generation of Wittenberg graduates learns to pass on its light. The Wittenberg torch has shone brightly since 1845. Together, we can keep it lit for generations.
The People
student access & scholarships
Having light, we will bridge the difference between the cost of the education and the price students and families can afford, making it easier for more Witt-fit students to say “Yes!” to Wittenberg.
Why it Matters
Bringing the cost of a Wittenberg education within closer reach for families is essential to our success in recruiting, enrolling, and retaining promising students who will thrive at Wittenberg and take advantage of all we have to offer. Private gifts make the education accessible, keep us competitive with our peers, and ensure that students have the financial support they need to complete their education at Wittenberg.
How We Can Make a Difference
- Endow scholarships, the greatest tool we have to attract and enroll high-achieving classes of diverse students.
- Give directly to the Wittenberg Opportunity Scholarship Fund, which provides immediate assistance to the students who need it most.
Why Right Now
Wittenberg provides all students some combination of scholarship or need-based assistance. With unprecedented levels of support from alumni and friends, we can sustain our generosity and raise it, increasing our reach to those students who belong at Wittenberg.
Giving to make Wittenberg affordable for students is about them becoming their best selves. It is also about Wittenberg continuing to be true to itself, steadfast in our mission to provide a liberal arts education to intellectually inquisitive, diverse classes of students who pass their light on to the world.
The People
Career Exploration & Outcomes
Having light, we will broaden access to robust career exploration and resume-building experiences to every student, providing the staff, space, and programming students need to discern a vocation and put their Wittenberg education to work.
Why It Matters
Discerning a vocation — a phrase that hearkens back to our Lutheran heritage — opens the pathway to a life that is both deeply satisfying, personally, and positively transformative to the lives of others. It is the most profound promise of a Wittenberg education.
How We Can Make a Difference
- Support student-centered staff who are dedicated to students' academic and professional success.
- Create space for a career and vocation center in Thomas Library that is highly visible and easy for students to access.
- Expand successful professional development programming to more students in more majors.
- Endow funds for study away, internship, and research support, so that more students can build their resumes and find their callings.
Why Right Now
Prospective students are seeking out internship opportunities, majors that lead to careers, and access to professional networks — keys to securing employment upon graduation. The more we can do to support career exploration and professional development, the better the odds that our graduates achieve the return on investment they seek.
We have the know-how to prepare all Wittenberg students to hear their calling. Preparing them all to answer it will truly set us apart.
The People
Faculty & Staff Excellence & Innovation
Having light, we will endow faculty and staff positions, and support outstanding innovation in teaching and research, honoring those who pass on their knowledge and wisdom at Wittenberg.
Why It Matters
Relationships between students and faculty, and students and staff, are a defining feature of the liberal arts experience at Wittenberg. Professors, coaches, program directors, and other staff members deserve the same level of passionate commitment from Wittenberg as they deliver to our students every day.
How We Can Make a Difference
- Fully fund endowed faculty and staff positions, powerful recruitment tools that ensure faculty and staff excellence and keep great people at Wittenberg.
- Support innovation in teaching and research, promoting intellectual curiosity and creativity and keeping the academic experience fresh and relevant.
Why Right Now
Across higher education, institutions are facing unprecedented financial challenges due to changes in student demographics and unpredictable economic upheaval. The need to insulate our faculty and staff from the fluctuations of the market while we boost enrollment and retention is real, and it is urgent. Above all, to support faculty and staff is to sustain the relationships that are at the heart of the Wittenberg experience.
Twenty years ago, the Defining Moments Campaign raised funds for endowed positions. Having Light is our moment to pick up the torch for faculty and staff support.
The Place
Campus Stewardship
Having light, we feel compelled to take care of the world, starting with our campus. We will care for this place, matching Wittenberg’s appearance to the reality of our love for our most tangible legacy.
Why It Matters
From convocation to graduation, from ceremonies of religious faith to displays of Tiger pride, the Wittenberg University campus brings people together. It elevates our pursuit of knowledge, spotlights personal bests and championship victories, and unites our entire community by giving us a singular, shared place to call home. This campus is ours to enjoy. It is also ours to steward for future generations.
How We Can Make a Difference
- Beautify campus for the next generation of Tigers, making sure our 114 acres make a great first impression.
- Keep our historic buildings healthy, safe, and sustainable places to live and learn.
- Refurbish science labs to meet 21st century standards, reviving a commitment to supporing the sciences at Wittenberg started by Andrew Carnegie.
- Promote the Health, Wellness & Athletics (HWA) Complex to potential partners and student-athletes, capitalizing on this tremendous investment.
Why Right Now
An awe-inspiring campus, one that preserves its historic character as it advances into the future, is a manifestation of good stewardship. It tells community members and visitors alike that this place is worthy of significant investment. It says Wittenberg’s legacy will last.
With inspirational leaders, generations of Tigers, and other friends of the University lighting the way, we can ensure that Wittenberg remains a beacon for the people who make this place shine.
The Present
Strength Through Annual Support
Having light, we will meet this moment, when circumstances demand that we fill the most pressing, most immediate needs of the University.
Why It Matters
Wittenberg graduates lead by example, strengthening communities and serving the public good. Our alumni can be there for others because Wittenberg was there for them. Every gift to Having Light: The Campaign for Wittenberg University, regardless of its size, cements our legacy of passing our light for decades to come.
How We Can Make a Difference
- Make unrestricted gifts to The Wittenberg Fund, making up the difference between tuition revenue and the actual cost of a Wittenberg education and supporting the operations that make Wittenberg an engaging place to be a college student.
- Break records for alumni giving participation, showing our affection for Wittenberg and signaling to foundations and other grant makers that Wittenberg has broad community support.
- Renew our annual commitment to Wittenberg, designate funds for programs close to our hearts, or leave a legacy through an estate or planned gifts, ensuring that a Wittenberg education is available for generations.
Why Right Now
Two decades have passed since Wittenberg's last major campaign. Now is our moment to ensure an exceptional educational experience for current students, and financial stability and sustainability for years to come.
When it comes to participation, it is not the amount of money that counts. It is the percentage of alumni who give. With more first-time donors, more renewed donors, more retained donors, and a higher alumni participation rate than ever before — Wittenberg will survive and thrive.