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Northland College starts new fiscal year with strong fundraising success

July 6, 2011

Northland College donors are supporting students and special projects at the highest level in several years, raising more than $6.8 million in gifts during President Michael A. Miller’s first year in office. Additionally, an anonymous gift has cut the school’s debt by more than half, and the college’s endowment, reduced by the economic collapse of two years ago, has recovered by $5 million.

“Each gift that we have received in this remarkable year has helped provide students with scholarships and has strengthened the financial foundation of this College at a time when the world economy has left many other institutions struggling,” said Northland College President Michael A. Miller. “In particular, I should note the tremendous response to our trustee challenge where our trustees raised more than $1.1 million towards this special scholarship initiative. It was quite a success, and sets us up for even more remarkable accomplishments in the coming year.”

By the end of the 2010-11 academic year, 701 donors contributed more than $785,000 to meet this challenge. A total of $1.9 million was raised to support student scholarships for the 2011-12 academic year. John Allen, outgoing chairman of the Northland College Board of Trustees, said, “I am pleased to conclude my nine years as chairman of the board of trustees on such a high note. I want to express my gratitude to everyone who contributed to Northland and, in particular, to the Trustee Challenge. Northland College prepared me in a way that set me up for success in life and I am honored to have a role in raising more than $1.9 million toward Northland scholarships in order to give hundreds of deserving students the same opportunities I had.”

The emphasis on scholarships in this year’s fund raising efforts is a factor in strong enrollment indicators for next fall, with early data predicting that Northland will enroll its largest class of freshmen and transfer students in years. Actual enrollment numbers will be officially tallied in September but data including the number of students who have applied, been accepted and placed deposits are very encouraging.

Scholarship awards are the basis of Northland College’s new Access Guarantee, which allows qualified students to obtain the benefits of a private college education at the same out-of-pocket expenses as charged at the University of Wisconsin Madison.

“The need for student scholarship funding is readily demonstrated during these difficult economic times and it has been so rewarding to see how people are responding to this need,” said Marc Barbeau, Northland’s vice president for Institutional Advancement. “A great example of this response is the new Robert and Debra Cervenka Scholarship that will provide a renewable full tuition scholarship each year for the next four years. It is the intent of the Cervenka family that these scholarships be awarded to students from northern Wisconsin.”

Information on Access Guarantee and other scholarships is available at www.northland.edu/admissions or by calling (800) 753-1840.

“The dollars raised to support Northland students and the college truly are investments in the economic vitality of Ashland and the surrounding region,” said President Miller. “Northland College is one of northwest Wisconsin’s largest private employers and our students are four year visitors to our shops and restaurants. More important than economic impacts, though, are the contributions we make to the social vitality of this region and community.”