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Our Leading Edge A Campaign to Invest in Our Future

"At Warren Wilson College, we've gained momentum over the last three years, and now we’re ready to soar. With your support of the Our Leading Edge campaign, together we will tackle the greatest challenges of our time.�

Lynn M. Morton, Ph.D. President

Our Leading Edge A Campaign to Invest in Our Future Owls use their leading edge feathers to glide silently through the night with a commanding advantage. At Warren Wilson College, we are building Our Leading Edge in order to empower changemakers who will tackle the world’s biggest challenges.

But owls must have wings to fly, and our students, faculty, and staff must have innovative programs and tools to thrive. Supportive and inclusive nests are fundamental to the growth and learning of student leaders. It also takes extraordinary courage to leave those nests, take flight, and combat the deadly threat of climate change.

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

Please join us. Give Warren Wilson College Our Leading Edge.

3rd Alula serrations Leading edge serrations

Leading edge

Serrations on secondary leading edges

Trailing edge

Wing length

Leading Edge (n.): The comb-like leading edge of owls’ primary wing feathers, a unique evolutionary adaptation that allows owls to fly silently.

Our Leading Edge

Three Ambitious Goals At Warren Wilson College, our innovative applied learning model purposefully integrates academics with community engagement and work experiences to prepare graduates not only for professional success, but also for lives of meaning.

Our students think deeply, care fiercely, and work hard. By the time they graduate, they haven’t just learned how to do it. They’ve already done it.

Our Leading Edge is guided by three overarching goals:

1.

Wings: Leaders Equipped to Soar

- Endowment

Grow Tools & Programs to Empower Leaders

- Internships

Owls must have wings to fly, and our students, faculty, and staff must have innovative programs and tools to thrive.

- Academic Programming - Scholarships - Study Abroad Experiences - Undergraduate Research - Faculty Support - Lectures & Visiting Artists - Professional Certificates - Student Success & Retention

2.

Nests: A Nurturing Campus

- Renovated Learning Spaces - Residential Improvements - Safety Enhancements

Build Innovative, Inclusive, & Supportive Learning Spaces

- Diversity Equity & Inclusion Initiatives

Supportive and inclusive nests are fundamental to student leaders’ growth, innovation, and learning.

- Expanded Athletics Program

- Accessibility Upgrades - Renovations to Key Buildings - Enrollment Resources

3.

Flight: Conservation & Climate Action Model Environmentalism & Land Innovation for a Changing World It takes extraordinary courage to leave the nest, take flight, and combat the existential threat of climate change.

A model for how to win that fight gives student leaders confidence to take that leap and soar.

- Land Institute - Climate Change Mitigation Research - Commercial Kitchen - Partnerships - Land Innovation - Conservation Efforts - New Academic Programs - Renewable Energy Initiatives

1.

Wings: Leaders Equipped to Soar

Grow Tools & Programs to Empower Leaders Our world faces unprecedented challenges, which Warren Wilson College students are tackling 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.

Our sharp academic focus, roll-up-your sleeves work experience, and fierce obligation to community service prepare students for life after graduation. Our alumni 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, and lobby for climate action in Washington, DC. Warren Wilson students and alumni can—and do —change the world.

Through the Our Leading Edge campaign, Warren Wilson College will expand and strengthen our applied learning model by nurturing faculty, investing strategically in new academic programs, expanding our already innovative curriculum, and providing opportunities for our students to become exceptional leaders who will solve the world’s greatest challenges.

“Being a student at Warren Wilson, I know that I have a support system that is there for me when I need a guiding hand. A huge part of that support system lies in the donors and their constantly evolving contributions to our campus and community.”

- Cierra Gillespie ’22, Creative Writing & English Major, Dodge House Student Life Crew

Expand programs and provide tools so that Warren Wilson students can become leaders who change the world. Your support will make the following initiatives possible:

BUILD THE ENDOWMENT to forever support scholarships, programs, and student opportunities.

CREATE NEW ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING with an emphasis on inspiring students to build a just, equitable, and sustainable world.

STRENGTHEN EXISTING ACADEMIC PROGRAMS to train students to become exceptional thinkers capable of solving the world’s greatest challenges.

INCREASE ACCESS through scholarships to make Warren Wilson College affordable to all.

EXPAND INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES so students can apply classroom skills in a professional setting.

INCREASE STUDY ABROAD EXPERIENCES to enhance student learning through intercultural exchange.

SUPPORT CAPSTONE RESEARCH so students can participate in facultystudent summer research and go beyond the typical undergraduate depth of experience.

RECRUIT & SUPPORT FACULTY with the resources they need to conduct innovative research and train the world’s next generation of leaders.

HOLD LECTURES & INVITE VISITING ARTISTS to inspire students and show them what’s possible.

EXPLORE & IMPLEMENT PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATES for students.

INVEST IN STUDENT SUCCESS & RETENTION so that every student can make the most of their time at Warren Wilson.

Total Target: $13 M

Innovative, 2. Build Inclusive, & Nests: A Nurturing Campus

Supportive Learning Spaces

In order to become leaders empowered to change the world, our students will grow and flourish in optimized, supportive, and inclusive learning spaces that are reflective of our distinctive experiential learning model. The Our Leading Edge campaign will make our campus a place that fosters creativity, collaboration, and innovation.

The campaign 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 safety technologies, or improved accessibility, we know that excellent facilities provide the necessary foundation for our students, faculty, and staff to reach new heights in their endeavors.

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

“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

Transform our campus into a collaborative, creative hub for learning. Your support will make the following initiatives possible: OPTIMIZE LEARNING SPACES —indoor and outdoor—for growth and innovation, overhauling existing spaces, upgrading classroom technology, and enhancing lab spaces and equipment.

RENOVATE THE WOLFF HOUSE to transform this currently unutilized, historic home into a functional space for postdoctoral fellows, masters residencies, events, and more.

IMPROVE RESIDENTIAL EXPERIENCES to promote community building and intellectual engagement.

UPGRADE THE ST. CLAIR GUEST HOUSE to increase revenue and improve oncampus housing for guests.

ENHANCE SAFETY so students can focus on learning without distractions.

UPDATE THE COLLEGE CHAPEL and the other buildings in the Ohler Spiritual Complex.

BUILD A MORE INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT because we’re stronger when we invest in spaces and programs that value diversity, equity, inclusion, and equal access for all.

ELEVATE MUSIC & THE ARTS with key improvements to the Elizabeth Holden Art Gallery and the Kittredge Music Hall.

IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY for community members with disabilities.

EXPAND THE ATHLETICS PROGRAM to advance the vision of increasing student athlete enrollment with significant improvements to fields, courts, and outdoor programs.

RECRUIT NEW STUDENTS with a new virtual tour of campus, improved campus signage, and other enrollment initiatives.

Total Target: $11.5 M

Environmentalism 3. Model & Land Innovation for a Flight: Conservation & Climate Action

Changing World

Warren Wilson College is positioned to address climate change head on—determining new economic incentives for land conservation and implementing agricultural solutions that reduce carbon emissions. We’ve divested 100% of our endowment from fossil fuels, diverted two-thirds of our waste from the landfill, and reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 18% in the past five years. Sustainability and environmental responsibility is woven into the fabric of who we are. Now, we want to expand our reach even further.

Through the Our Leading Edge campaign, we will greatly enhance our efforts to use our applied learning methodology to conduct new research and take meaningful action against climate change. Our students are learning approaches to mitigate the effects of climate change and manage an integrated landscape, and they are doing it with hands-on action. They’re not only preserving College land for generations to come, their work is creating a model to inspire and educate the entire region.

Students leave Warren Wilson College as applied thinkers capable of making a real impact on our world.

“We are developing a 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

Set our environmental commitment higher to lead in land conservation and climate mitigation efforts.

Your support will make the following initiatives possible:

CREATE A LAND INSTITUTE as a hub and model for regional, national, and international research and consulting on land planning, diversification, management, conservation, and climate action.

USE OUR LAND AS A LEARNING LABORATORY, utilizing our most important asset—our 1,100-acres of working agricultural and forest lands that provide unmatched opportunities for hands-on research, action, and leadership.

SUPPORT CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION RESEARCH to actively combat this threat to our world.

EXPLORE CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES, including easements and other long-term conservation methods.

BUILD A COMMERCIAL KITCHEN to produce our own value-added nontimber forest products, garden products, and farm products in house — not only saving processing costs and reducing our carbon footprint, but also providing teaching and learning opportunities for students and our community.

DEVELOP NEW ACADEMIC PROGRAMS in sustainable land management, green entrepreneurship, and climate change.

CREATE PARTNERSHIPS so that students can apply their research and solutions to real world problems.

USE RENEWABLE ENERGY to power our operations, including solar installation and energy efficient facilities.

Total Target: $5.5 M

A Lasting Legacy

Planned Giving Leaving a lasting legacy by including Warren Wilson College in your estate plans can make an even bigger impact than what you might contribute during your lifetime. Because a significant component of this campaign is focused on endowment building, your commitment to making a bequest or other form of planned gift now will make a meaningful difference in our overall purpose of strengthening and investing in our College for the future.

When you include Warren Wilson in your long-term plans, you’ll be included in our Bannerman Society, and your gift will receive Our 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

“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

Funding The Vision

Our Leading Edge The Our Leading Edge campaign will invest $30 million in the key strategic areas of Warren Wilson College that are highlighted in this plan. Our community thrives with innovative programs and tools for leadership. Supportive and inclusive spaces are essential to the growth of future leaders. And to meet the challenge of climate change, we must develop inspiring models for success.

Building Our Leading Edge will strengthen and expand our unique experiential learning methodology—proven to embolden changemakers.

Please join us in flight.

Give Warren Wilson College Our Leading Edge.

“My experiences at Warren Wilson College were incredibly diverse. And I am so grateful that the fact that I was a Global Studies major didn’t keep me from being the Cattle Boss. That is a Warren Wilson education! As I graduated, I knew that I was not limited. I was fully equipped to think critically.”

- Anne Clare Courtway ’18

Learn more about the campaign’s investment opportunities by calling or emailing Vice President for Advancement Zanne Garland at 828-771-2038 or zgarland@warren-wilson.edu.

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

Our community must have innovative programs and tools to thrive. $13 M

Nests

Supportive and inclusive spaces are essential to the growth of future leaders. $11.5 M

Flight

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

Building Our Leading Edge will strengthen and expand our unique experiential learning methodology—proven to embolden changemakers.

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.

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Please join us in flight.

Give Warren Wilson College Our Leading Edge.