Everyone matters to the future of Anderson University

By Deborah Lilly

When Anderson University launched the Dreams. Discovery. Direction. capital campaign two years ago, President James Edwards optimistically announced a hefty $110 million goal. He was right to feel so confident. Only two years into the public phase of the campaign, the university has met 78 percent of its goal, raising more than $86 million. And things are already changing on campus in areas such as the renovation of the football field, the construction of York Seminary Village, and the addition of a special collections area at the Nicholson University Library. After launching a successful on-campus campaign, the university is now reaching out to alumni.

October marks the official launch of the “U Matter” campaign targeting alumni, but this campaign is different. It’s not about writing a large check; it’s about the connections between alumni and the university. It is a true effort to prove that every alumnus does matter to the future of Anderson University.

Every year, the university’s development team reaches out to a multitude of donors to raise money for the Annual Fund for student financial aid. “That is a baseline of support that we count on year after year after year,” says Edwards. “It simply makes this place affordable.” But it’s about more than the money. “Alumni support is one of the measures of the quality of the educational experience. It shows that alumni value their Anderson University experience so much they’re willing to send a contribution back.”

As alumni show their belief that Anderson University is a quality institution, other people and groups want to share support as well. “The very fact that alumni participate, at whatever level, increases the likelihood that individuals of substantial means, corporations, and foundations will make large gifts to Anderson University,” says Robert Coffman, vice president for advancement. For example, foundations want to know what percentage of the university’s trustees, the campus community, and the alumni are giving. In other words, do the people who know the university most intimately support the ongoing work of the institution. Organizations maintaining rating instruments want to know, too. As the percentage of alumni giving increases, so rises the rankings of institutions in reports such as US News & World Report. An upgrade in ratings raises the image of the university, increasing the value of an Anderson University degree.

But for many alumni, giving to AU in some way is more personal than that. Patricia (Seasor) Bailey BA ’78 has stayed connected with the university ever since she graduated. She has served on the alumni council and presently sits on the board of trustees and on the campaign committee.

“Anderson University was a really important place for me,” she says. “I met people who were really important in terms of opening doors for me. Not necessarily doors of opportunity but doors that encouraged me to explore who I wanted to be. Those are the same people I run into as an alum, and it makes my life more rich.”

Bailey continued her education at Indiana University School of Law immediately after earning her bachelor’s degree and has been practicing law ever since. But she still makes time to be part of the AU community.

“It’s a way for me to give back,” she explains. As an undergraduate student, Bailey decided she would pay her way through college on her own. She worked two jobs, but that wasn’t always enough. She remembers the staff at the financial aid office going out of their way to make sure she had the finances to finish school. “I don’t know how I would have done it otherwise,” she says. “This is one of the ways I say thank you for people having sacrificed for me.”

As part of the university’s National Campaign Cabinet, Bailey has helped launch the “U Matter” campaign to increase the number of alumni giving to the university. “Your gift of any size is greatly appreciated. No gift is too small,” says Coffman. Not only will the gift increase the percentage of alumni participation, Coffman adds, “Small gifts cumulatively make a big difference in the financial aid package for a student.”

The face of the campus has already begun to change because of the campaign and other revenue coming in for capital projects. In an $800,000 project, the university installed all-weather synthetic field turf and outdoor lights at Macholtz Stadium. Not only does this give the university a chance to host night games and the Ravens and their opponents to play on a perfect field every game, the football field is now a facility all students can enjoy. In trying to take extra care of a natural grass field, the team only used the field about 34 hours a season. This season, Jeff Judge, head football coach, says the team has used the field more for practices and games than the previous five years combined. In addition to football practice and games, the field is open to intramural activities, as well as other AU intercollegiate teams such as soccer. Instead of serving 95 student athletes, it will now be competition and recreation grounds for 2,100 students and a great asset for the entire Anderson community.

Students, faculty, and staff, as well as the community, packed the stadium at the Ravens’ very first night football game. “We appreciated the support very much,” says Judge. “It made us feel like the game we were playing was important, and it made us want to do well in front of so many folks.”

But Judge is also interested in what this football field can do for future teams in terms of recruitment. “There are 17 regional high schools playing on synthetic surfaces,” says Judge. Now he is better able to recruit football players from those schools. “High school players are not going to schools where the facility doesn’t match the quality of the venue where they played high school football.”

This is just the beginning of the upgrades to the athletic fields, says Sena Landey, vice president for finance and treasurer. Plans have been drawn up to erect a multi-purpose building in the middle of the athletic park to house restrooms, concessions, storage space, and even locker rooms and showers for the visiting teams. There are plans to increase parking, renovate the press box at Macholtz stadium, reorient the softball field, and upgrade hitting tunnels for both the softball and baseball teams. “The renovations on the football field are not the end of the project,” says Landey. “They are the beginning steps to a much bigger master plan.”

This past summer, the university also continued its work to upgrade the dormitories. Dunn Hall was renovated in 1999 and Morrison Hall in 2007. Students came back this fall to new looks in Martin and Smith halls.

“The building is beautiful,” says Traci Caruthers, who is spending her fourth year in Martin Hall. “We could not have asked for more. The women who live here are making themselves at home in the building very easily. Everyone really seems to love it.”

Martin and Smith received complete makeovers on the inside. The lobbies now include kitchens and bathrooms. All floor surfaces either have new carpet, new tile, or, in the rooms, new vinyl-coated wood flooring. The furniture in the rooms is loftable. The showers in the restrooms are more private. “They are more consistent with contemporary décor,” explains Landey of the dorms’ interiors.

The biggest projects in both dorms were new heating systems and the installation of air conditioning. According to Daniel Weiler, the air conditioning has been a big hit in Smith Hall. But overall, the resident assistant says, “There is just a lot more respect for the building. People understand that this is a really nice place to live, and they don’t want to mess that up.”

Over at Nicholson University Library, a new space has been renovated for a special collections area. Located on the first floor of the Wilson wing, the area now houses the university’s hymnal collection once located in the archives and will eventually house a unique collection of children’s literature and rare books.

The space came about thanks to a generous donation by Drs. James and Elizabeth York. “Mrs. York sat down with me one day and asked me what my wish list was for the library,” explains Janet Brewer, director of the library. Brewer shared with York the need for space to house the hymnals, and York shared with Brewer her desire to donate her collection of children’s literature to the library. From that conversation was born a secure storage area for rare books and special collections, and a special reading room.

York also made a special purchase and donation of two illuminated manuscripts. Illuminated manuscripts date back to the Middle Ages. Hand printed on vellum, the script is ornate and colorful and there are often illustrations down the sides of the pages. It was a popular way to reproduce the Bible. Today, illuminated manuscripts are important in the areas of religious studies, art history, and literature. In addition to the very valuable manuscripts, the Yorks donated books necessary for the study of illuminated manuscripts.

>More projects are planned for the future of the university. Fifth Street will receive a safety and beautification makeover next summer to look more like University Boulevard. Perhaps the most exciting project in the university’s future is the new university center to replace Olt Student Center. Architects are now putting the final touches on the plans in anticipation of construction. The new university center will be almost twice the size of Olt Student Center and located on University Boulevard east of the Krannert Fine Arts Center.

“The fundamental purpose of the whole design is to meet the needs and wants of students,” says Coffman. “That is absolutely issue number one.”

Richard Winford, vice president of the Student Government Association, has been involved with the project long before he and his running mate, Josh MacInnes, announced their bid for election. This far into the process, Winford says, “I’ve been impressed with how open the architects have been to the students.” For example, when Winford and MacInnes sat down with individual student organizations and asked them what they would like to see in a new university center, Orange, Black, and Green, an environmental group on campus, said they would like to see a building that was LEED certified. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. The architects and the kitchen designers listened, and the university center is going to be the first green sustainable building on the AU campus.

From looking at the designs of the building, Winford says it’s obvious the university center is being built with the students in mind. Instead of administrative offices, the student walks in the building and immediately sees Mocha Joe’s, set with gathering areas, a stage, and a fireplace. From the north entrance, the bookstore and mail center are on the left, and straight ahead are the cafeteria and Haven. “It’s a great set-up,” says Winford. “Very student-oriented.”

The staff in the Department of Student Life are among those eager for a new university center. “We have a need for this building on all kinds of fronts,” says Brent Baker, vice president for student life and dean of students. Space in the eating areas is at a premium, especially this year with an even greater enrollment. Students learn the first day of classes that if they want to find a place to sit and they don’t want to navigate huge lines, they have to alter their lunch schedule.

Baker continues, “The current student center is also not conducive to the way students are used to being accommodated.” Students today are used to fast service with lots of options. That’s where the Baker Group comes in, a company that focuses on food service design. “The Baker Group is involved with many schools across the country and is very aware of what the trends are,” says Landey. The dining area will include six serveries in the main dining room and three in what has traditionally been known as the Ravens Haven.

SOT alumni challenged to give

The School of Theology needs an update more than any other building on campus, and now alumni and friends can help made a huge difference. Drs. James and Elizabeth York, longtime friends of the School of Theology, have promised to match $100,000 in donations made to the seminary. “What a great opportunity that the Yorks have given to the alumni and friends of the School of Theology to step forward and make a gift, knowing every dollar they give will be matched by the Yorks,” says Don Taylor, the advancement officer who partners with the School of Theology.

The total $200,000 will be used to upgrade the School of Theology building. The list of improvements includes new windows and refinished pews in Miller chapel, new glass panel doors to the entrances of the building, a refinished and repainted steeple, and a new roof.

For the seminary, the relationship with the Yorks has been transforming, says David Sebastian, dean of the School of Theology. Elizabeth’s parents, Harry L. and Henrietta Harp, were longtime Church of God ministers. For years, Harry and Henrietta’s family have supported the Harp Lecture Series. James and Elizabeth have also given in other tremendous ways, such as establishing a scholarship for non-Church of God students and financing the York Seminary Village. For the second year in row, the Yorks have sponsored a visiting professor. This year it is Dr. Robert Lang’at from Kenya. He is teaching in the field of missiology, offering evening classes in African religions, the history of missions, and the biblical theology of poverty. He is also teaching a class in the Doctor of Ministry program on leadership in different contexts.

“We feel that being on the campus is one of our best recruiting tools,” says Sebastian. “When we get prospective students into the classroom and with faculty and students, that’s always a positive experience.” But sometimes the appearance of the building leaves something to be desired. Incoming donations matched by the Yorks would relieve this problem.

Anyone interested in having their gift matched can contact Taylor at (765) 641-4061.