Kent Stuckey is chairing the university’s “Where We Stand Matters” fundraising effort.
Cardinal Campaign
Otterbein University aims to raise $50 million to fund scholarships, renovations and other improvements to take the school into the future.
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By Thomas Gallick • Photos by Lorrie Cecil
efore Otterbein University leaders launched a $50 million fundraising campaign to secure the school’s future, they took a close look at its past. School officials announced the “Where We Stand Matters” campaign during homecoming festivities in September 2014, after a multiyear discussion of Otterbein’s history and mission, as well as current and future needs. Otterbein President Kathy Krendl says conversations about the past reminded school leaders of the university’s heritage as an example of inclusion and opportunity in higher education. Founded in 1847 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Otterbein was one of the first colleges in the United States to include women and minorities as students and faculty members. Krendl says the “Where We Stand Matters” campaign is about making sure Otterbein continues to be that beacon
of opportunity for underserved populations, including first-generation college students. “Our core values haven’t changed,” she says. “They’ve just taken on new meanings.” By the end of 2015, the university had raised about $23 million. The university has pledged to use $17 million of its $50 million fundraising goal toward scholarships and other programs aimed at making an Otterbein education affordable. Otterbein will dedicate $18 million toward what school officials call “building a model community.” The funding will be used to support fellowships, faculty development and out-of-class learning experiences, as well as classroom and lab improvements. “We would like for this to be a destination place for people to work,” Krendl says. Another $15 million will go toward improving campus green spaces and renovating existing buildings as part of an ongoing “campus renewal” effort. Westerville365 | Winter 2016
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