Indiana Wesleyan University has been identified as a recipient of an initial $250,000 planning grant as a part of the Charting the Future initiative.
According to a news release, IWU intends to use this grant to imagine a strong future of service in collaboration with educational and business partners in Grant County and north-central Indiana.
“Almost every private university in the Midwest region is facing an uncertain future,” says Dr. David Wright, Indiana Wesleyan University President. “Most missed their enrollment goals this past fall. Demographic forecasts are challenging to say the least. All are facing increased questions about the practical value and cost-effectiveness of college degrees.”
Colleges and universities, particularly private universities without the enormous endowments and state support of large public universities, are asking how best to craft a viable future of service to the public good.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is providing much-needed resources to help colleges and universities imagine a vibrant future through its new initiative, Charting the Future for Indiana’s Colleges and Universities. In this initiative, Lilly Endowment is making available grants totaling $108.2 million to help Indiana colleges and universities address their key challenges and take advantage of promising opportunities to enhance their relevance and sustainability (lillyendowment.org).
“I’m very thankful for the opportunity this affords us to build on the idea-gathering efforts we’ve engaged in over the past couple of years,” says IWU-Marion Chancellor Dr. Rod Reed. “Strategic planning needs to look different in this economic and competitive landscape, and this grant allows us to work on that process in a focused way on an accelerated timeframe.”
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
Indiana Wesleyan University is an evangelical Christian comprehensive university of The Wesleyan Church committed to global liberal arts and professional education. IWU-Marion represents nearly 3,000 students who are enrolled in traditional programs on the residential campus in Marion, Indiana. IWU-National & Global represents 9,000 adult learners who study at education centers in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio, and online. IWU’s global ministry includes a close partnership with Excelsia College in Sydney, Australia.
