WWC Leading Edge 1.0

Leading Edge A Campaign to Invest in Our Future

“Warren Wilson students and alumni think deeply, care fiercely, and work hard. By supporting Warren Wilson College though the Leading Edge campaign, you will equip problem solvers to answer the most pressing questions of our time.”

- Lynn M. Morton, Ph.D. President

Leading Edge A Campaign to Invest in Our Future Our world faces daunting challenges. Our climate is in crisis, and our ideologies are polarized. Our society is imbued with staggering inequities, and a global pandemic has ended millions of lives. No one sector or person can reverse our plight. We need changemakers — community-minded workers, activists, scientists, academics, and artists — to face these intractable problems and create innovative solutions.

The world needs Warren Wilson College graduates. Our mission centers civic-mindedness, equity, and environmentalism, and our unique curriculum purposefully integrates academics with community engagement and work experiences. Our graduates achieve not only exceptional careers — they lead inspiring lives.

Leading Edge is an ambitious $30 million campaign to substantially strengthen Warren Wilson College’s unique educational model — an experiential learning community proven to embolden changemakers who create a just, equitable, and sustainable world.

Warren Wilson’s mascot, the owl, has an unusual evolutionary adaptation. Owls use their leading edge feathers to glide silently through the night with a commanding advantage, outmaneuvering their competitors and thriving in diverse habitats.

We must enhance our Leading Edge at Warren Wilson — elevate our resources, programs, and facilities — to equip our community to tackle the world’s biggest challenges.

Our future needs Warren Wilson College graduates. Give them a Leading Edge.

“Warren Wilson College instills in us a sense of duty to work for the greater good, regardless of the challenges.”

- Dr. Ryan McLaughlin ’08, Physician at VCU Health

Uniquely Positioned

The Warren Wilson Difference Our distinctive experiential learning philosophy has been the core of a Warren Wilson College education throughout the College’s history. Since our founding in 1894 as the Asheville Farm School, our students have contributed meaningfully to the work of the campus and the betterment of our community. They have learned by doing.

As the College grew, our commitment to sustainability and social responsibility deepened, and our innovative applied learning model evolved to further integrate academics with community engagement and work experiences.

Experience forges confidence. Warren Wilson College graduates have tangible proof that they are powerful change agents. Their ambition is fueled by having already investigated problems, found solutions, and improved the environments, systems, and lives surrounding them.

Our students search for answers that lead to better questions. When people committed to improving the world dive deep into questions that matter to them, amazing things happen. We see it every day.

Recognized as a National Leader in Higher Education Ranked #3 in sustainability from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Ranked top 10 in both Community Service and Career Preparation by Princeton Review Named #1 College Farm in the nation by Best College Reviews Top 20 “Best Buy” College by The Fiske Guide to Colleges

Excellence & Innovation in Graduate Programs Our Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program — founded by winners of the MacArthur “Genius” Award and the Nobel Prize in Literature — is the top low-residency creative writing program in the nation.

And our new Master of Arts in Critical Craft Studies is the first program of its kind in the world.

100% of endowment divested from fossil fuels Two-thirds of waste diverted from the landfill 18% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the past five years 5 LEED-certified buildings on campus

Proven Outcomes

Alumni Impact Warren Wilson College’s sharp academic focus, roll-up-your-sleeves work experience, and fierce dedication to community service prepare students for not only professional success but also lives of meaningful action.

Our students tackle unprecedented challenges head-on before they even graduate. We see it in the class of aquatic ecology students who discovered a toxic algae bloom on a local lake, the students contributing to global data on climate change through the College’s phenology garden plots, and the students organizing in our communities to dismantle systemic racism.

By the time they graduate, our students haven't just learned how to do it. They've already done it.

Our alumni have the deep confidence that comes with having already solved complicated problems.

They go on to receive Fulbright awards, attend law school, or work for NASA. They save hundreds of thousands of lives by inventing treated nets to prevent malaria, produce Oscar-winning documentaries to bring social issues to light, and lobby for climate action and nuclear disarmament in Washington, DC.

Willow Collins ’15

Dr. Rebecca Rudicell ’05

The youngest Model Maker at the Smithsonian Institution, Collins innovates new ways to make history, science, culture, and nature come alive by creating exhibits.

A founding Scientist and Vaccine Researcher in the Breakthrough Lab, Rudicell has helped create potential HIV vaccines and an HIV antibody now in human clinical trials.

Dr. Mark Adams ’84

Reginald Dwayne Betts MFA ’10

A Founding Scientist at The Institute for Genomic Research, Adams is a world leader in sequencing the human genome — one of the most influential scientific discoveries of our time.

A Ph.D. in Law candidate at Yale, Betts uses experiences as a teen in maximum security prison to criticize the criminal justice system. He's won Guggenheim and NEA Fellowships as a poet and author.

“Warren Wilson fostered three values that have stood the test of time — dignity, belonging, and curiosity. They’ve been guideposts for everything I’ve done since.”

- Kim Wright J.D. ’81, Legal Practice Owner

Leading Edge

Three Ambitious Goals Leading Edge is a campaign to build a commanding advantage. It will elevate Warren Wilson College’s already innovative and unique experiential learning model to new heights. With your investment, we can better attract, retain, and graduate changemakers, and we can model solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our world.

The Leading Edge campaign is guided by three overarching goals:

1.

Access & Opportunities Grow Scholarships and Programs to Empower Leaders

2. Foundations

Build Supportive Learning Spaces

3. Climate Change Solutions Model Environmentalism and Land Innovation for a Changing World

Our Mission: Warren Wilson College’s distinctive approach to education intentionally integrates academics, work, and community engagement to cultivate curiosity, empathy, and integrity. We empower graduates to pursue meaningful careers and lead purposeful lives dedicated to a just, equitable, and sustainable world.

1.

Access & Opportunities Grow Scholarships and Programs to Empower Leaders Cost shouldn’t hold prospective students back from a life-changing Warren Wilson College education. And once they get here, the tools and programs they need to be successful must support their growth.

With further investment, our students will gain access to transformational experiences, conduct cutting edge research, and engage in programs that prepare them to take their careers in new directions that will address our world’s problems.

Through the Leading Edge campaign, we will expand and strengthen our applied learning model and increase scholarships so students have even more opportunities to become exceptional leaders.

Endowment New Academic Programs Faculty Support Internships Study Abroad Experiences Undergraduate Research Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Initiatives Enrollment Resources

The Result Your investment will expand programs to attract and retain students and expand scholarships to make Warren Wilson College affordable to all. You will help Warren Wilson graduates cultivate curiosity, integrity, and empathy that will carry them forward for the rest of their lives.

Total Target: $13.5 M

“Warren Wilson College students need to make a difference in this world, to do things of importance to give back to our communities and be a catalyst for change in our worlds.”

- Dr. KP Mmalane ’09, Physician at Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital in Botswana

2.

Foundations Build Supportive Learning Spaces In order to become leaders empowered to change the world, our students need a learning environment that is reflective of our distinctive experiential model. The Leading Edge campaign will elevate our campus spaces so that they reach the level of creativity, collaboration, and innovation of our faculty, staff, and students.

We will transform spaces and projects that are critical to student success. Whether it’s upgrades to labs where students are conducting climate change research, advancements in technology, or state-of-theart spaces for creating and learning, we know that excellent facilities provide the necessary foundation for our students, faculty, and staff to reach new heights in their endeavors.

Renovated Learning Spaces Residence Hall Improvements New & Upgraded Technology Expanded Athletics Program

The Result Your investment will help build optimized and supportive learning spaces.

As a result, Warren Wilson students will have stronger, more connected, and more vibrant campus experiences.

Total Target: $11 M

“As a member of the Board of Trustees for more than a decade and as an alum myself, I know first-hand that the world needs Warren Wilson College and our amazing graduates. I also know that investing in our infrastructure will powerfully support the exceptional people who learn and lead in this incredible place.”

- Dr. Anne Graham Masters ’73, Trustee and esteemed Perinatologist

3.

Climate Change Solutions Model Environmentalism & Land Innovation for a Changing World For more than 50 years, Warren Wilson College has demonstrated a fierce commitment to our environment. Sustainability is woven into the fabric of who we are.

Now, with your help, Warren Wilson College is primed to be the undergraduate education hub for action against climate change.

Through the Leading Edge campaign, we will build a Land Institute for regional, national, and international research and consulting on land planning, diversification, management, conservation, and climate action. Our unique location and 1,100-acre learning laboratory provide unmatched opportunities for hands-on research, action, and leadership.

Land Institute Climate Change Mitigation Research Partnerships with Businesses Renewable Energy Initiatives Commercial Kitchen

The Result Warren Wilson College will make a profound difference in the fight against climate change.

Your investment will enable us to create models that will inspire and educate the entire region and impact the world.

Total Target: $5.5 M

“We are developing a

A commercial kitchen will allow us to process non-timber forest products such as ginseng, hemp, wild ginger, and shiitake mushrooms. Our goal is to show landowners innovative ways to profit from their forests, which will in turn prevent deforestation.

new way to do education that not only helps our students be successful and helps our College thrive into the future, but also significantly contributes to solving the greatest existential threat to our world— climate change.”

- Dave Ellum, Ph.D., Dean of Land Resources

A Lasting Legacy

Planned Giving Leave a lasting legacy. Including Warren Wilson College in your estate plans can make an even bigger impact than what you might contribute during your lifetime. Establishing your plan during this campaign ensures that the College will have a Leading Edge now and forever.

A significant component of the Leading Edge campaign is focused on endowment building. Your commitment to making a bequest or other form of planned gift now will be a major contribution toward our overall goal. You will make a meaningful difference in our future.

When you include Warren Wilson in your long-term plans, you’ll be included in our Bannerman Society, and your gift will receive a Leading Edge campaign recognition.

“I added Warren Wilson as a beneficiary in my estate plans because I want Warren Wilson to continue to attract and retain people who think outside the box and work hard to improve our local communities, our country, and our planet.”

- Erin Hadary ’03

Leading Edge Funding the Vision

The Leading Edge campaign will invest $30 million in key strategic areas of Warren Wilson College:

Access & Opportunities Our community thrives with expansive scholarships and innovative programs for leadership. $13.5 M

Foundations

Supportive learning spaces are essential to the growth of future leaders. $11 M

Climate Change Solutions

To meet the challenge of environmental threats, we must develop inspiring models for success. $5.5 M

Building A Leading Edge will strengthen and expand our unique experiential learning methodology— proven to equip changemakers to solve problems.

Learn more about the campaign’s investment opportunities by calling or emailing Vice President for Advancement Zanne Garland: 828.771.2038 or zgarland@warren-wilson.edu.

“Warren Wilson gave me a lot of curiosity about the world. The school gave me tremendous breadth and perspective and taught me how to work really hard. I was able to come up with audacious ideas and make them happen.”

- Juliana Andonian J.D. ’08, Public Defender

Please join us in flight.

Give Warren Wilson College a Leading Edge.

WARREN WILSON COLLEGE P.O. BOX 9000 ASHEVILLE, NC 28815-9000