September 18, 2017
Announcing Knowledge & Goodness
$400M campaign is the largest fundraising effort in independent school historyby Tracy Sweet
Phillips Academy, Andover, has launched the largest fundraising campaign in the history of independent schools. With nearly $140 million pledged to date, Andover seeks to raise a total of $400 million.
Knowledge & Goodness: The Andover Campaign was unveiled by Trustee President Peter L.S. Currie ’74 at a campus gala over the weekend.
Alumna and Emmy award-winner Dana Delany ’74 emceed the event, which also included a performance by alumnus and Grammy award-winner Kevin Olusola ’06, of Pentatonix. An international figure in human rights, alumna Hafsat Abiola ’92 shared a personal story of tragedy-turned-hope that led to the founding of KIND (Kudirat Initiative for Democracy) in her native Nigeria.
Currie praised Head of School John G. Palfrey for his visionary leadership. He also thanked all trustees, including fellow campaign chairs Amy C. Falls ’82 and Joseph Y. Bae ’90.
With this historic initiative, Andover will invest heavily in faculty excellence and the student experience—priorities that will expand opportunities in teaching and learning, sustain need-blind admission, and support new and renovated facilities.
Securing the school’s admission policy, which admits students solely on merit, will ensure that no student is ever turned away from Andover for financial reasons. “Today, when nearly half of our students rely on financial aid, this guarantee is more essential than ever,” said Palfrey. Need-blind admission, now in its 11th consecutive year at Andover, is one of the most generous and comprehensive programs in the country.
Early Returns
Financial commitments in the months leading up to the public announcement have generated promising results, added Currie. Progress is evident in new campus facilities, including the Rebecca M. Sykes Wellness Center and the Snyder Center, which will open this winter as a new home for athletics. Seed funding for the Tang Institute has helped Andover’s “ideas lab” flourish into a catalyst for global partnerships and new learning paradigms for a digital age.
Andover also has seen increased support for financial aid and Learning in the World programs. Once fully funded, every student will have the opportunity to travel and experience a new culture.
Looking Ahead
As fundraising continues, Andover has plans for a new aquatics center, a renovated library and a new building dedicated to the study and performance of music.
Andover is a diverse community of 1,155 students from nearly every state and 44 countries. Faculty are passionate about teaching in the traditional sense as they also navigate the forefront of innovation. Knowledge & Goodness, the campaign’s title, draws from the school’s constitution and invokes values prized since its founding. As Andover begins its 240th academic year this fall, the concept of knowledge and goodness speaks to the future, according to Palfrey.
“Andover will continue to deliver an education worthy of a highly connected, rapidly changing and often unpredictable world,” he said. “This campaign will ensure that our faculty and students have the resources to tackle the most pressing issues of our time—with both intellect and integrity.”
Categories: Philanthropy
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