Jewell Faculty Give It 100%

By Chad Jolly ’94, Ph.D.,Vice President for Institutional Advancement

“Chad, this never happens.” This, the initial response from Dr. William R. Lowery, partner at the national educational fundraising firm of Bentz, Whaley, Flessner, after I shared that 100% of the William Jewell faculty made a financial gift to the College in 2004-2005.

His reaction brought perspective and I considered a question: “What is it worth, over the course of a lifetime, to spend your college years with exceptional faculty who care?”

A faculty who model excellence: What is it worth to study with people like Dr. Beth Sperry (philosophy), who recently received an international award from the Sixth World Conference of the International Society for Universal Dialogue in Helsinki, Finland? What is it worth to co-author a paper with Dr. Paul Klawinski (biology), who has a National Science Foundation grant to study the “Effects of multiple species invasions: Albizia tree and coqui frog colonization”? What is it worth to be a student of Dr. Ian Munro (English), who was one of only 800 faculty in the nation to be named a Fulbright Scholar for the 2005-2006 academic year?

A faculty who make the difference: What is it worth to have faculty who care about you and the community in which you are a part?

“Here is my number, call me at home if you have questions.”

“You can do this.”

“You aren’t going to wear that to the interview are you?”

A faculty who lead:

“We work with a number of colleges all over the country, and I am not aware of any institution that has achieved a 100% faculty giving percentage,” Dr. Lowery said. “A giving rate in the mid-eighties is considered to be an extremely high level of participation. Achieving the 100% giving rate indicates that Jewell faculty have found important reasons to give. Often this level of giving indicates ‘buy-in’ to an institution’s mission and vision.”

Although college and university rankings, like those in U.S. News & World Report, are concerned with the percentage of alumni who make an annual gift*, there is no doubt that our faculty have sent a message to foundations, corporate donors and potential partners who will help Jewell fulfill its vision and potential.

It is certainly a question worth considering: “What is it worth, over the course of a lifetime, to spend your college years with exceptional faculty who care?”

*20% of William Jewell College alumni made a gift to the College in 2004-2005. Although an improvement over 2003-2004, we must encourage significantly more alumni to schedule an annual gift. The alumni giving percentage impacts national rankings, our ability to engage corporate and foundation support, and the ability to fulfill our bold vision for the student experience.