Whittier College Chairman's Report 2010-2011

2010 2011 Whittier College Chairman’s Report

Chairman’s Message The Board of Trustees Chairman Donald J. Herrema ’74

Fellow Members of the Whittier College Community:

I

am truly honored to have been asked to serve as Chairman of the Whittier College Board of Trustees this past summer. It is humbling to be able to lead this great group of my peers and to work closely with President Sharon Herzberger and senior leadership to strategically and purposefully advance the College.

Much was accomplished during the 2010-2011 fiscal year at the College to further Whittier’s academic programs, physical campus, and brand reputation on a national and international scale. Critical partnerships were forged to support the mission of this College and expand the breadth of its scholarly community, providing added opportunities for research, fieldwork, service, travel, and cultural exchange. Going forward—and with the active engagement of you and our many volunteers, generous donors, and friends— we will build upon the significant successes of the past year, many of which are highlighted in the balance of this report.

Secretary Ruth B. Shannon, L.H.D. ’92

As we have now completed the first half of the 2011-2012 fiscal year, I am pleased to report that significant work is underway on a number of objectives designed to strengthen the excellent liberal arts program Whittier delivers, while addressing the College’s future financial health and wellbeing.

We are exploring a number of reputation–enhancing and revenue–generating ventures to showcase Whittier’s excellent faculty and innovative curricula. One such venture includes Whittier’s lead participation in a consortium of top-flight institutions offering a collective catalogue of innovative online courses to be taken by students working, interning, or traveling anywhere in the world; another increases targeted marketing of our newly launched Los Angeles Integrated Arts Program, an arts immersion course that will attract students from around the globe to Whittier to experience Los Angeles’ arts-rich environment. Both of these models will grow the College’s brand recognition.

Additionally planned for the year ahead, we will continue to audit and improve our infrastructure, in particular

targeting renovations and renewal of Stauffer Academic Building and the programs it houses. We will revise the Campus Master Plan to reflect our growing student population and prospective additions to our graduate academic offerings. Finally, we will carefully consider and modify our enrollment strategies to increase Whittier’s cosmopolitan and diverse community, with keen perspective on advancing Whittier’s global reach.

As the College celebrates the 125th anniversary of its founding, I look forward to updating you throughout the year on our progress. Until such time, I am grateful for your continued investment in Whittier College—as alumni, loyal ambassadors, and as financial con­tributors. Your generous support is vitally important, and I am confident you will be pleased with the returns it will produce.

Sincerely,

Donald J. Herrema ’74 Chairman

Treasurer Vincent J. Daigneault ’85 James M. Brown ’71 Christopher Caldwell P ’13 Derek M.F. Chan ’79 Kristine E. Dillon ’73 Peter E. Feinberg ’82 Richard I. Gilchrist ’68, P ’06, ’07 Barbara (Ondrasik) Groce ’57 Cary (Baker) Halio ’95 Willard V. Harris, Jr. ’55, L.H.D ’02 , P ’80, ’87 Wayne Harvey ’60 Yuki Hayashi P ’10 Caroline (Patterson) Ireland ’43 Edwin Keh ’79, P ’11, ’15 William Larson WLS ’85, H.D.L ’05, P ’13 Alan H. Lund ’71 David D. Mandarich P ’97 James E. Mitchell ’62 Ernie Z. Park James R. Parks Richard S. Ruben Geoffrey C. Shepard ’66 Geraldine (Beatty) Shepard ’90, P ’97 Kate Wiley P ’11 Donald E. Wood, L.H.D. ’98 Robert Zemsky ’62

Trustees Emeriti Richard H. Deihl ’49, D.B.A. ’84 Rayburn S. Dezember ’53, L.H.D. ’94, P ’78, ’86, ’94 Alfred J. Gobar ’53, M.A. ’55, Ph.D., L.H.D ’05, P ’88, ’96 Charlotte D. Graham, L.H.D. ’99 Sharon (Ettinger) McLaughlin P ’85, ’88, ’90 R. Chandler Myers, J.D., LL.D. ’88 Hubert C. Perry ’35 Anthony R. Pierno ’54, L.H.D. ’00, P ’84 Elden L. Smith ’62 Maxine M. Trotter ’47, P ’72 President Emeritus Eugene S. Mills, Ph.D., LL.D., L.H.D., LL.D

senior administration Sharon D. Herzberger President Charlotte D. Borst Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty Penelope Bryan Dean of Whittier Law School Robert J. Coleman Special Assistant to the President and Executive Director of Athletics James Dunkelman Vice President for Finance and Administration

Alumni-at-Large Mei-lan E. Stark ’89 John K. Fitzgerald WLS ’93

Jeanne Ortiz Vice President and Dean of Students

President of the Alumni Board Steven Weston ’83

Fred R. Pfursich Vice President for Enrollment Elizabeth Power Robison Vice President for Advancement

1

Contributions

F

or Whittier College, 2010–2011 marked a record year in terms of the aggregate number of donors to the College. Gifts and pledge payments of cash and property to the College’s undergraduate programs increased to $7.8 million from the previous fiscal year. The generosity of Whittier College donors in 2010–2011 was remarkable, even in the midst of an ongoing, difficult economic climate.

Gifts by Source 2010–2011*

12%

Parents

22%

Friends

15%

Foundations

Chairman’s Notes: • The Whittier Fund reached an all-time high of $1.5 million in 2010 -2011, with notable increases in parent, student, and young alumni giving.

• Total contributions from realized bequests more than doubled in 2011 to more than $2.1 million. These gifts to the College made by Philadelphians­—individuals who included the College in their estate plans—were critical in funding key capital projects and endowment.

• Contributions to Purple & Gold, the College’s athletics booster club, increased more than 31% to $368,000, enhancing the studentathlete experience and providing important resources to our 21 NCAA Division III teams.

9%

Corporations

42%

Alumni

Gifts by type 2010–2011*

$1.7

$1.8

Capital Projects

Restricted Operating

$2.8

$1.5

Endowment Giving

Unrestricted Annual Fund

Value in Millions ($)

* Data reported according to Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) standards for gifts and grants received in fiscal year 2010-2011.

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3

Participation

The number of parents past and present who made a gift to the College increased 61% from the previous year. Total contributions from generous parents were near $1 million in 2011.

Total participation from Golden Anniversary Club alumni (Classes of 1960 and earlier) reached 39% in 2011, with three special classes—1945, 1954, 1956—exceeding 40% participation in 2011.

Athlete Alumni

Young Alumni

Driven by strong support of the Graham Athletic Center expansion project, the number of gifts from alumni of athletic programs climbed to a four-year high in 2011, representing a 28% increase from just three years ago.

The number of gifts from alumni of the last decade (Classes of 2001-2011) reached a four-year high, driven in part by the energy of the Class of 2011. This class continued the outstanding upward trend in senior class giving, achieving 56% participation.

Faithful Friends

Parent Donor Households

Athlete Donors

Increase in donor participation

BY PERCENTAGE

Society Alumni

Golden Anniversary Alumni

2009

4

651 735 822

Golden Anniversary Club

2010

29% 42% 56%

Parents

458 386 615

2011 represented the inaugural year of the “All-Society Challenge” with individual societies vying for the top spot in terms of gift participation rate. Overall society participation in 2011 grew to 33%, while the Palmer Society captured the Challenge’s top spot with alumnae participation of 47%.

38% 38% 39%

The number of the College’s Faithful Friends—alumni, parents or friends giving in two or more consecutive years—reached a three-year high in 2011. Total contributions from Faithful Friends represented more than 50% of the total contributions to the College in 2011.

2013 2206

Society Alumni

1234

Faithful Friends

Increase in donor participation

BY NUMBER

26% 27% 33%

W

ith many generous constituent groups achieving three-year highs in gift participation rates, 2011 marked another year of climbing gift participation trends for the College. With 343 additional alumni making gifts in 2011, alumni participation rose three percentage points to 22%.

Senior Class

2011

5

Endowment

I

n general, college and university endowments across the nation have been experiencing a slow and steady recovery from the sharp economic decline in 2008.

Whittier College, with its overall endowment value located among the middle third of American institutions, is no exception in terms of increasingly positive performance.

The return for the 2010–2011 fiscal year was 20.1% of the endowment pooled investment. The fair value of the College’s endowment increased from $65.4 million in June of 2010 to $78.6 million one year later.

Endowment fair value and support to operations $90

$4.5

$80

$4.0

$70

$3.5

$60

$3.0

$50

$2.5

$40

$2.0

$30

$1.5

$20

$1.0

$10

$0.5

$0 2007-08

2008-09

Fair Value

• The endowment total return utilized to fund operations is determined by applying a Board-approved percentage spending rate to a three-year historical average value of endowment investments. In 2011, the spending rate was 5%, yielding $3.1 million in support to operations.

• The College’s endowment contains 155 named scholarships, which provide a total of $1.7 million in student support annually. Additionally, 14 endowed chairs support competitive faculty research and teaching in the natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences divisions.

$0 2006-07

Chairman’s Notes:

2009-10

2010-11

Support

Endowment Support Areas Fair Value, June 30, 2011

$5.3 Plant

$13.3

General Support

$34.4

Scholarships

$0.8

Student Services

$24.8

Academic Programs Value in Millions ($)

6

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Revenues & Expenses

O

perating revenues outpaced operating expenses by 12.1%, growing the College’s total equity and allowing the College to fund important capital improvements at both the undergraduate campus and Law School. ($ in millions) Revenue Expenses Operating Income (lost)

2008–09 $59.0

2009–10

2010–11

$69.3

$72.0

60.0

61.2

64.2

($1.0)

$8.1

$7.8

Operating Revenue 2010–2011

3%

2%

Other

Investment Income

10%

Gifts, Grants & Pledges

71%

Net Tuition & Fees

14%

Auxiliary Enterprises

Chairman’s Notes: • In 2010-2011, College trustees affirmed Whittier’s institutional commitment to fund capital infrastructure improvements and faculty compensation.

• Strong financial performance enabled the College to keep undergraduate student tuition favorable among its peer colleges, providing excellent value to those who matter most, its students.

• Student tuition dollars cover approximately 70% of the College’s expenses. The remaining 30% of expenses are covered through other sources of revenue, including endowment earnings and gifts to the College.

Operating Expenses 2010–2011

14%

Auxiliary Enterprises

39%

Instruction

18%

Institutional Support

3%

17%

Student Services

8

Sponsored Programs

9%

Academic Support

9

enrollment

F

or the undergraduate division, Fall 2010 enrollment was 1,527 students, representing a three-year trend of increasing applications and full-time students. First-year enrollment increased 26% from 359 to 453.

Chairman’s Notes: • Geographic distribution of Whittier College applicants continues to grow, with international students comprising 6% of the total student body, up from 4% in previous years. A total of 27 countries outside the U.S. were represented in the 2010-2011 total undergraduate enrollment.

• The six most popular fields of study at Whittier are ordered as follows: business administration, political science, psychology, kinesiology, English, and biology.

Enrollment Data Highlights 2008–09

2009–10

2010–11

Total Enrollment

1,291

1,367

1,527

Total Applications

2,206

2,285

2,900

Median Class Size

15

14.5

14.5

Tuition

31,950

33,868

35,222

% Male/Female

46/54

47/53

48/52

% Students of Color

43

45

47

U.S. States Represented

39

40

36

Degrees Granted by discipline

10%

Interdisciplinary

49%

12%

Social Sciences

Natural Sciences

29%

Humanities

10

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Achievements Institutional Recognition During the 2010-2011 fiscal year, Whittier College earned several distinctions, which include: • cited as one of “America’s Best Colleges & Universities” by U.S. News & World Report, as a “Best College” by both the Princeton Review and Fiske Guide, and a “College of Distinction”

by Student Horizons, Inc.; • hailed as one of the nation’s 286 “Greenest Colleges” and one of the “Best in the West,” by Princeton Review; and • named to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction and awarded the 2010 Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, for Whittier’s commitment to learning through service.

During 2010-2011, Whittier also earned accolades from its own students through two major nationwide studies assessing key institutional best practices: • Whittier is rated among the top three schools delivering on “high quality interactions with faculty,” “academic challenge and expectations,” and “diversity experiences,” according to the results of the Wabash Study of Liberal Arts Education.

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• Whittier continues to score near the top on “level of academic challenge,” “active and collaborative learning,” “student-faculty interaction,” “enriching educational experiences,” and “supportive campus environment,” according to the results of the National Survey for Student Engagement.

Individual Recognition Throughout the 2010-2011 fiscal year, Whittier students were selected for prestigious awards including: • t hree students chosen as Fulbright Fellows, receiving support for postgrad­ uate travel, work, and field research in Brazil, Sri Lanka, and Malta; • more than 20 competitive scholarships and grants won by students from the U.S. Department of State, National Wildlife Federation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Fletcher Jones Foundation, Keck Foundation, and Campus Compact organization; • more than 60 honors given to Whittier scholar-athletes, awarded by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), and regional and

national collegiate sports associations— with eight students receiving All-American recognition for athletic performance, and 16 students and two full sports teams receiving All-American recognition for academic performance.

Building on groundbreaking research, composing original works in art, music, and theater, and designing educational opportunities for students via practical fieldwork and interdisciplinary learning, Whittier College faculty continued to earn distinction within their respective fields: • More than 25% of tenured Whittier professors were invited to deliver research results at professional conferences both in the U.S. and abroad, including Spain, Australia, Brazil, China, Argentina, Canada, and Italy. Of that number, about 10% involved students as part of their investigatory, research, and presentation teams.

•M ore than 30 academic journals and texts published in 2010-2011 featured articles or chapters authored by Whittier faculty members; additionally, Whittier professors were featured contributors or expert commentators in segments aired or published in national and international news media markets, including South America and South Africa.

• For the 2011 January Interim Session alone, 12 professors in nine diverse disciplines developed and led courses to Morocco, China, Ireland, Greece, Italy, and Spain, enabling more than 85 students to produce informed analyses related to a broad range of cultural, political, religious, and economic differences.

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