Imagine the Possibilities
President’s Update The Campaign for Claflin University August 22, 2014
Dear Claflin Friends, It is time to begin a new chapter in Claflin’s extraordinary history. The arrival of a new class makes being part of the Claflin community of students, faculty and staff exciting and immensely gratifying. It is also a time to reflect on significant progress and achievements of the previous academic year. I find it exciting to recall the many new honors and recognitions awarded to the University in our commitment to become one of the premier undergraduate teaching and research institutions in the world that prepares effective and visionary leaders with global perspectives. I am optimistic that additional acknowledgements await the University in 2014-15 as we put in motion plans to pursue transformative change. And yes, this is the year we will also celebrate the 145th anniversary of Claflin University. I also believe much is in store for Claflin and I look forward to sharing new and innovative developments at the University during the course of the academic year. In the meantime, I have been reflecting on Claflin’s Imagine the Possibilities Capital Campaign and the blessing it has been to this University. I thought I’d share with you two brief thoughts on our progress. Numbers That Tell a Partial Story December 31, 2014 Benchmark Goal Raised to Date Balance Left to Raise
$80 Million $76.02 Million $ 3.98 Million
The Bigger Story, a Campaign that Transforms In its 145 years, Claflin has witnessed acts of generosity which have radically propelled it forward in serving as a beacon of hope, access and success to its students. This is one of those times. The funds that have been paid and pledged into this campaign are having perhaps as big an impact in the life of the University as Lee Claflin’s original $5,000 investment to purchase our grounds and first building in 1869. The transformative effects of the campaign are all around us. Claflin rebuilt infrastructure, expanded housing, dramatically widened its research capabilities, and has deeply embraced the digital education environment with the integration of smart classrooms, high-speed wireless connectivity and massive data capabilities. These improvements have transformed Claflin into a 24/7 teaching, learning and research environment. Claflin a Model for the Fundraising Future At the same time, the Campaign itself has become a model for not only HBCU fundraising but for higher education as a whole. That model draws upon the resources, vision and enthusiasm of all its constituencies. These include funding from alumni, staff, parents, faculty, business and industry, private foundations, and state and federal government. In the coming months, I look forward to sharing with you how our model has gained, to our delight, the attention of national and international funders that were simply unknown to Claflin a few years ago. Transformation!
Henry N. Tisdale President
The World Needs Visionaries