Endowment Information

Ohio Wesleyan University's endowment provides a solid foundation and assures an annual income stream that benefits scholarships, professorships, research funds, book funds, and other designations.

Endowment funds are invested as capital, rather than used as cash for immediate needs. Earnings from the endowment are a significant source of annual income. Some of the earnings are spent each year in support of University operations; the remainder is added back into the principal, ensuring the steady growth of the fund. Endowment thus creates a foundation for fiscal growth and stability, while generating a reliable portion of each year's operating income.

Endowment income, along with tuition and gifts to the Annual Fund, are the main sources of revenue to support the University's annual operating expenses. These three sources must provide most of the revenues needed to pay utility bills, maintain classrooms, pay faculty, equip laboratories, field athletic teams, and fund all the day-to-day educational operations of a top-notch liberal arts college.

Increasing the endowment will benefit Ohio Wesleyan University in many ways by:

• reducing the pressure to raise tuition thereby keeping student fees as low as possible.
• serving as a reliable financial aid resource which in turn aids in attracting and retaining students from varied economic and ethnic backgrounds.
• increasing the quality of academic life on campus by supporting exceptional faculty, outstanding facilities, challenging academic programs, and talented students.
• maintaining Ohio Wesleyan's position as one of the finest colleges of its kind.

This last point is a particularly critical one. Many of the schools with which Ohio Wesleyan competes for students have endowments two and three times the size of ours. Colleges and universities with substantial endowments typically enjoy strong academic reputations because they are able to attract the finest teachers and students, and maintain the best libraries and facilities. Their endowments provide the financial stability to weather economic adversity and, if necessary, survive an occasional crisis.

A larger endowment will enable OWU to better withstand both the ups and downs of the economy and the changes in enrollment that are unavoidable from one academic year to the next.

A gift of endowment may be designated or undesignated, made in many forms such as cash, stock, life insurance, and real estate, and offer certain tax advantages. In any case, the interest income from the gift will be used only for the purposes designated by the donor.

A gift to the permanent endowment is repeating. It keeps growing and giving by producing usable income year after year. It is a gift that supports not just current educational endeavors, but all future generations of students as well. A gift of endowment is truly investing in the future.

How You Can Help

As with any major contribution, one should consider carefully which form of giving best accomplishes one's financial goals. Please contact Darrel Gibson, Director of Major Gifts, at 740-368-3324 or dbgibson@owu.edu to explore giving opportunities that will satisfy your needs, accomplish your goals, and fulfill your wishes.

If you have already given and have a question or concern about your donation, please contact Judy Earls, Gift Acknowledgement Coordinator, at 740-368-3316 or jkearls@owu.edu.