Bowdoin College announced Thursday it is in the midst of a $500 million fundraising push, the largest in the Brunswick college’s history.
The college hopes to reach its goal by June 2024.
Bowdoin College President Clayton Rose Times Record file photo
“These are critical promises, and they represent who we are at Bowdoin,” said Bowdoin President Clayton Rose in the announcement. “Today, we live in a period of unprecedented change characterized by globalization, by challenges to established political, economic, and social institutions and norms, by information and knowledge generated from vast amounts of data, by the willful dismissal of science and fact and the withering of civil discourse, and by a thirst for wisdom and ethical judgment. It remains our charge and responsibility to prepare our students for the world they inherit. That’s what this campaign is all about, and this is how we remain one of America’s truly great colleges.”
The goal for From Here: The Campaign for Bowdoin is double that of Bowdoin’s previous campaign, which sought $250 million and raised a total of $294 million between 2004 and 2009.
The college has already raised more than $300 million in gifts and pledges during the so-called “quiet phase” of the campaign that began in July 2018.
Half of the funds are earmarked for student financial aid, according to a news release.
Bowdoin is one of 19 colleges and universities in the US that provide need-based financial aid without required loans, and that meet a student’s full financial need for all four years. Roughly half of Bowdoin students now receive financial aid. The college distributes more than $41 million in aid each year.
The campaign will provide $200 million in new endowment for financial aid.
The campaign will also raise $83 million to support faculty innovation in areas that include interdisciplinary scholarship, global perspectives and quantitative and digital literacy.
The campaign seeks to raise $37 million for expanded career exploration and development programming, including $12 million for skill development and $25 million to fund internships “across every industry,” according to the release.
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