Campaign's Success Highlights Accomplishments of Dr. John Toll's Tenure as President
Chestertown, MD, January 8, 2004 — Washington College's Board of Visitors and Governors announced today the conclusion of the largest capital campaign in the College's 222-year history—and the single largest fund raising campaign ever conducted by any Maryland undergraduate college. With an original campaign goal of $72 million announced in 1998, the Campaign for Washington's College surpassed its original target by nearly 44 percent, with total contributions of $103.4 million as of December 31, 2003. Among all Maryland institutions of higher learning, only Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland System have raised more money in a single capital campaign. Washington College enrolls 1,450 students from 35 states and 36 countries.
“On behalf of the entire Washington College community, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the success of this campaign,” said Jay Griswold, Chair of the College's Board of Visitors and Governors and Director of Brown Investment Advisory and Trust Company of Baltimore. “Despite the economic downturn of the past few years and the challenges of these uncertain times, we have seen an amazing amount of generosity by our alumni, by foundations, and by individuals who believe deeply and passionately in the distinctive education that Washington College provides.”
Campaign support came from numerous alumni who collectively contributed more than $11 million, as well as 15 donors who gave $1 million or more, 105 contributors of $100,000 or more, $5 million from The Starr Foundation of New York, and the constant support of The Hodson Trust, which provided various grants and a pledge to match all contributions to the endowment of $100,000 or more. Drawing grants from many corporations and foundations in the Mid-Atlantic region, the campaign was also supported by distinguished national foundations, including The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and The Henry Luce Foundation.
“The breadth of support for Washington College was outstanding, and the number of national sources who contributed to our campaign is a real compliment to our institution,” Griswold added.
“The founding of Washington College in 1782 as the first college chartered after the Declaration of Independence was an act of courageous optimism for a nation whose destiny was still uncertain,” said John S. Toll, President of the College. “What we have witnessed through our campaign is that same vision. Our founders William Smith and George Washington, with the help of many supporters, launched Washington College because they believed fervently that education was the bulwark on which freedom, opportunity and justice must rest if they are to be perpetuated. Today's benefactors, like our founders, are bold optimists whose generosity will go a long way to help us lift Washington College to new levels of distinction and service.”
The campaign's successful conclusion represents one of the highlights of Dr. Toll's nine-year tenure as president. The former chancellor and president of the University of Maryland System and professor of physics, Dr. Toll arrived at Washington College in January 1995 and will step down as president at the conclusion of this academic year.
Funds raised by the Campaign for Washington's College are supporting a range of initiatives as part of the College's strategic plan, including new faculty chairs and professorships, technology enhancements, two new academic research and outreach centers—the Center for Environment and Society and the C. V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience—and new and expanded academic programs in archaeology, Asian studies, computer science, and earth and planetary science. In addition, the Campaign is helping to improve and expand campus infrastructure: Louis L. Goldstein Hall was dedicated in 2000 and a new 45,000-square-foot Science Center is slated for completion in Fall 2004. Many other facilities, including William Smith Hall, were renovated.
Founded in 1782 under the patronage of George Washington, Washington College is a private, independent college of liberal arts and sciences located in historic Chestertown on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
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