Giving—Forging Our Future
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Garrett-Evangelical has been at the forefront of Christian theological thought, evangelical outreach, and social action for 160 years. Still, our work is only beginning. Through the faith witness of this school, God continues to call us to forge a future where all will know the love of Christ. In order to remain strong, and attract and educate the very best leaders for tomorrow's church, Garrett-Evangelical must increase its endowment.
The seminary depends on endowment income to meet the growing expenses that are not covered by tuition and current operations support. Tuition provides less than one third of the seminary's annual operating budget, and annual gifts provide another third. Endowment income must provide the remainder.
The seminary has entered phase three of an endowment campaign, Forging Our Future. The Phase Two goal of $60 million was met and, in October 2009, trustees voted unanimously to raise the goal to $100 million and extend the duration of the campaign. Phase three goals include increase commitments to unrestricted endowment and endowed leadership scholarships, endow at least three more faculty chairs, and endow distintive programs. To read more about each of these goals see the tabs below.
Click here to make a gift today or create a pledge using the Gift Intention Form below. If you have questions or would like further information on ways to give, contact David Heetland, vice president for development, by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 847.866.3970.
Unrestricted
Building Our Unrestricted Endowment
Goal: $45 million
Nearly 70% of the seminary’s current endowment is restricted for specific purposes, which limits our flexibility to address critical issues and develop new programs.
One of the most critical issues to be addressed through an enhanced unrestricted endowment is renovating seminary facilities with significant deferred maintenance: Loder Hall, Stead Hall, United Library, Old Dorm, Shafferr Hall, and Pfeiffer Hall. The earnings from an expanded unrestricted endowment will allow Garrett-Evangelical to renovate these buildings, thereby ensuring that the quality of its buildings matches the education within them.
An enhanced unrestricted endowment will also allow Garrett-Evangelical to address emerging needs in a rapidly changing world and to say “yes” to innovative ideas that grow out of its strategic planning process.
An unrestricted endowment is vital to the long-term strength for the seminary. Needs and strategic goals change from time to time. Earnings from an unrestricted endowment allow the seminary to address those needs and goals, and stay on the cutting edge of theological education.
Scholarships
Providing For Our Future Students
Goal: $40 million
While Garrett-Evangelical makes every effort to keep tuition low and financial aid high, most students still find it difficult to make ends meet. The seminary also loses talented students each year who don’t enroll simply because they can’t afford it.
In order to ensure that all students called to ministry have access to a quality seminary education, Garrett-Evangelical must expand its scholarship support. Endowed scholarships are needed at both the master’s and doctoral levels.
The need is especially great for leadership scholarships to encourage the best and the brightest to consider ministry. A $400,000 endowment would provide an annual leadership scholarship of $20,000 – enough to provide full tuition plus a stipend for living expenses.
Scholarships are also needed at other levels to enable all qualified students to pursue their call to ministry:
- A $300,000 endowment would provide an annual $15,000 scholarship
- A $200,000 endowment would provide an annual $10,000 scholarship
- A $100,000 endowment would provide an annual $5,000 scholarship
- A $50,000 endowment would provide an annual $2,500 scholarship
Faculty
Strengthen a World Class Faculty
Goal: $12 million
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Our faculty brings the seminary to life through inspired teaching, mentoring, spiritual formation, debate, and ministry to the church at large. Yet, faculty salaries are modest and often significantly less than teaching positions at universities, colleges, and even high schools. Endowed chairs in key disciplines are a proven way to attract and retain outstanding faculty members and to ensure that key disciplines remain an essential part of the seminary curriculum. Garrett-Evangelical was fortunate to receive multi-year grants for faculty positions in Methodist Studies and in Global Christianity and World Religions, but these grants will soon end. The seminary hopes to permanently endow these positions so that current and future students will have an opportunity for in-depth study in these areas. Garrett-Evangelical also hopes to endow several other faculty chairs that are distinctive to our curriculum, including a chair in Spiritual Formation and a chair in Congregational Leadership. Opportunities to strengthen Garrett-Evangelical’s world class faculty include:
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Programs
Enhance Educational Programs
Goal: $3 million
Garrett-Evangelical is seeking to endow its strengths. Some are long established, such as the seminary’s United Library. Others are relatively new, such as MDiv Plus. Each program that Garrett-Evangelical seeks to endow, however, is an important part of the seminary’s distinctiveness – which we hope will remain a permanent part of the Garrett-Evangelical experience.
Garrett-Evangelical’s United Library is recognized as one of the outstanding theological libraries in the nation. However, the budget for collection development is significantly underfunded compared to libraries of similar size. Although ninth in the United States in terms of its collection’s size, the library’s budget for purchasing new materials ranks 58th. Strengthening the library’s endowment will enable the collection to thrive and the library to remain a true hallmark of excellence.
The MDiv Plus program was initiated with the 2010 graduating class, and is already hailed as one of the seminary’s distinctive programs. It provides all interested MDiv graduates with three years of executive clergy coaching, a leadership certificate program, and continuing education.
Other distinctive programs that Garrett-Evangelical seeks to endow include the Church and the Black Experience, Youth Ministry, and Field Education.
Opportunities to enhance Garrett-Evangelical’s educational programs include:
- $400,000-$10 million to build the library endowment
- $1 million to endow the MDiv Plus program
- $1 million to endow the Church and the Black Experience program
- $500,000 to endow the Youth Ministry program
- $100,000 to endow one field education internship
Gift Intention Form
Forging Our Future
Gift Intention Form
Download the Gift Intention Form or use our online form below. If you have questions or would like further information on ways to give contact David Heetland, vice president for development, by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 847.866.3970.
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