{"id":40130,"date":"2025-08-21T13:52:30","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T18:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kwu.edu\/?p=40130"},"modified":"2025-08-18T17:04:38","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T22:04:38","slug":"endowment-hits-historic-50-million-mark-for-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kwu.edu\/about\/news\/endowment-hits-historic-50-million-mark-for-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Endowment Hits Historic $50 Million Mark for First Time"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kansas Wesleyan\u2019s endowment reached a historic financial milestone in recent weeks as it surpassed the $50 million mark for the first time in school history. The endowment, which provides a cornerstone of long-term stability for the institution, has more than doubled in the past decade and increased by more than $20 million since 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe KWU community continues to propel us to incredible heights,\u201d said Dr. Matt Thompson, KWU president. \u201cTen years ago, this would have been difficult to fathom, but here we are! Reaching the $50 million level in our endowment provides us with a platform, a marker, that everyone can see \u2014 Kansas Wesleyan University is ready for the next chapter, the next steps and to lead this community into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recent increases in the endowment are part of the Power of AND campaign, which is approaching $50 million, as well. The campaign has been crucial in sweeping improvements across campus, including new student housing (Coyote Village), new academic facilities (Bieber Hall, Nursing Education, Jack Wilson Criminal Justice labs) and the renovation of Sams Chapel, as well as the Bieber Dining Hall project.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a tremendous moment for our institution,\u201d said Ken Oliver, KWU executive vice president and foundation board administrator. \u201cIt is an indicator that, in a shifting landscape, our community, alumni and friends value what it means to be a Coyote. This figure is among the top private institutional endowments in the state. We are thankful for every individual, business and partner who has invested time, energy and financial support into helping provide this long-term stability to Kansas Wesleyan.<\/p>\n

\u201cKWU is fortunate to have both our Board of Trustees, the group that sets the overall direction of the institution, and our Foundation Board, which monitors and works to grow the endowment,\u201d said Oliver. \u201cThis is a rarity among small colleges, but having different leaders \u2014 including Bob Meyer and Ken Ebert, past Foundation Board presidents \u2014 working toward these goals has proven to be a winning formula for Kansas Wesleyan. With the Scholarship Gala coming up in April, we know there\u2019s more to come, but for now, we say thank you to everyone who got KWU to this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Current KWU Foundation Board members are:<\/p>\n

Gus Applequist \u201914 (chair)<\/p>\n

Jandrea Blumanhourst \u201989 (vice chair)<\/p>\n

Tim Ault-Duell \u201976<\/p>\n

Mike Baumberger \u201996<\/p>\n

David Branda \u201976<\/p>\n

Janell Hulse<\/p>\n

Steve Scofield \u201965 (chair, finance committee)<\/p>\n

Stanley Smith \u201974<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":36904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEndowment Hits Historic $50 Million Mark for First Time - Kansas Wesleyan University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kwu.edu\/about\/news\/endowment-hits-historic-50-million-mark-for-first-time\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Endowment Hits Historic $50 Million Mark for First Time - 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