One of the most enjoyable parts of my role as Volunteer Chairman of the 1832 Society is that I am afforded the opportunity to share the good news of our results from the 2009 fiscal year, and I am honored to thank you for your philanthropic leadership. During the past year, members of the 1832 Society helped the College’s Annual Fund reach $3 million for the second year in a row and the second time in the College’s history.

 

 

Your 1832 Society support was critical in helping Wabash meet important financial demands in what became an increasingly difficult economic year. 1832 Society support enabled Wabash to fill the gap from cuts to Indiana state grants provided by the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI). This included repackaging financial aid awards for more than 240 Wabash students who had their state grants reduced or cut, replacing those grants with Wabash dollars. 

 

Wabash was also able to enroll another outstanding freshman class. The 250 men who comprise the Class of 2013 come from 18 states and 10 countries. They are diverse in the talents and accomplishments they bring to the Wabash community and they are ready to have an impact on our College. Our leadership support of merit scholarships and need-based financial assistance helped many of these men make their way to campus. These young men in the Class of 2013 — along with their sophomore, junior, and senior peers — will learn side-by-side from some of the finest and most dedicated teachers in the country.

 

If ever there was a year to demonstrate leadership for Wabash College, the 2008-2009 fiscal year was the year. And these examples reinforce the importance of our philanthropic leadership. 

 

Furthermore, we must not forget the financial realities facing Wabash’s operating resources. As we have learned in the last several months, the decrease in the value of the College’s endowment will have a significant impact on the College’s operating budget over the next few years. Our leadership support as members of the 1832 Society will be more crucial in these next few years than at any other time in College’s recent history. 

 

Therefore, I hope you will again answer our call to renew and increase your philanthropic leadership support of Wabash students. I also hope you will call on your classmates and friends to join you. In doing so you will demonstrate your belief in the College’s mission of educating Wabash men to think critically, act responsibly, lead effectively, and live humanely.