Forever Washburn
By LISA LOEWEN
Since its founding in 1865, Washburn University has sought to provide students with quality education that is accessible, affordable and adaptable. While Washburn quietly endeavored to achieve those goals for 160 years, the efforts of the last five years have generated results that have staff, students and alumni raising their voices in thunderous support.
When Dr. JuliAnn Mazachek returned two years ago to serve as Washburn’s new president, she brought with her some bold new ideas for how to accelerate growth and set the university on a path toward continued success.
“I served at Washburn for 30 years before I came back,” Mazachek said. “Based on my history here, combined with my passion for Washburn, I came in with some ideas on areas I wanted to engage with.”
However, Mazachek knew good ideas only become great ones if you let others contribute. They went through an extensive participative strategic framework process with key stakeholders — faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors and community members — to identify the vision for the future of Washburn University and outline key priorities that aligned with its core values and founding principles.
That collaborative process resulted in a bold strategic plan developed simultaneously with a campus master plan to outline the physical improvements on campus, coordinated under one comprehensive fundraising campaign: Forever Washburn.
The creation of an overarching fundraising campaign to meet scholarship, educational, student opportunity and physical improvement goals gives faculty, students, alumni, donors and community members a more complete picture of the vision for Washburn.
“Because they are so integrally tied together, people know that their gift is going to move Washburn forward because they understand how it fits into the vision,” Mazachek said. “There is a place to contribute no matter what the size of your gift is and know that it is going to make a difference.”
THE CAMPAIGN’S FOCUS:
FOUR FOUNDATIONAL PILLARS
Building and Optimizing Spaces:
$65 Million
Scholarships and Student Opportunities:
$80 Million
Programs and Teaching Excellence:
$80 Million
Real-World Learning and Service:
$25 Million
Alumni Association and Foundation President Marshall Meek said the timing for this campaign is perfect, as Washburn is building strong momentum through its small class sizes, personalized educational experiences and real-world opportunities that empower graduates to succeed.
“We have always had very active and engaged alumni who are incredibly generous,” Meek said. “They know the potential Washburn has to change the trajectory of someone’s life because they have experienced it.”
That shared experience, he added, has inspired donors eager to give back to Washburn. With the university’s new leadership, bold and ambitious projects and initiatives like the Shawnee County Promise and Shawnee County Thrive Scholarships, alumni and donors are more excited than ever about the university’s future.
That shared experience, he added, kept donors hungry for a way to give back to Washburn. Alumni and donors are more excited than ever before about the university’s new leadership, new scholarship programs and fresh vision for bold, ambitious projects.
“The idea behind Forever Washburn was not to create a list of projects or metrics, it was to create a decision-making framework that outlined the priorities for Washburn over the next decade and give donors a way to support those priorities,” Meek said. “Forever Washburn has something that attracts every donor because each pillar of the campaign directly benefits students.”
With the implementation of initiatives funded through the Forever Washburn campaign, Mazachek said she anticipates the university will grow its enrollment by another 1,000 students. However, she emphasized that this growth will be intentional and strategic to ensure the university stays true to its mission.
“While growth is important, we will be careful to never outgrow what makes Washburn special,” Mazachek said.
The Forever Washburn campaign was created to build on the promise of helping students find success by breaking down financial barriers, providing them opportunities to thrive and creating a space where they feel welcome and empowered.
Click here to go to Pillar #1 Forever Washburn | Buildings and Optimizing Spaces
Click Here to go back to Pillar #2 Forever Washburn | Scholarships and Student Opportunities
Click Here to go back to Pillar #3 Forever Washburn | Programs and Teaching Excellence
Click Here to go back to Pillar #4 Forever Washburn | Real-World Learning and Services
