Investing in the Future
Endowed funds are one of the most important sources of support for private education today. Endowed funds are invested as capital, rather than used as cash for immediate needs. They operate like a savings account for the University.
Earnings from the endowment are a significant source of annual income. A portion of the earnings is spent each year in support of University operations; the remainder is added back into the principal, ensuring steady growth of funds. Endowed funds create a foundation for fiscal growth and stability, while generating a reliable portion of each year’s operating income.
Endowment income, along with tuition, student fees and gifts to the Annual Fund, are the main sources of revenue to support the University’s annual operating expenses. These sources must provide most of the revenues to pay utility bills, maintain classrooms, compensate faculty, acquire library resources, equip laboratories, field athletic teams and fund all of the day-to-day educational operations of a small liberal arts urban university.
The University currently has more than 170 named endowed funds that support the operations of the campus. Our goal is to dramatically increase the size of the endowment to significantly strengthen the financial foundation upon which our educational efforts are built.
The following areas have been targeted as the highest priorities for endowment support:
- Student Scholarships
- Faculty Professorships
- Faculty Development
- Technology Enhancement
- Salary Enhancement
- Unrestricted Endowment
- Community Outreach
An increased endowment will benefit Texas Wesleyan by:
- reducing the pressure to raise tuition, thereby keeping students' expenses as low as possible.
- serving as a reliable financial aid resource, which in turn assists in recruiting and retaining students.
- providing resources that enable the University to attract and retain talented and dedicated faculty.
- enhancing our ability to invest in technology, which is essential to the educational experience of students today.
- increasing the quality of academic life on campus by supporting exceptional faculty, outstanding facilities, challenging academic programs and talented students.
- securing the financial foundation and academic reputation of the University.
The last point is particularly critical. Colleges and universities with substantial endowments typically enjoy strong academic reputations because they are able to attract the finest teachers and maintain the best libraries and facilities. Their endowments provide the financial stability to weather economic adversity and, if necessary, survive an occasional crisis. In today’s competitive higher education marketplace, prospective students are quick to note the enhancements endowed funds provide and to assess the differences between institutions.
A larger endowment will enable Texas Wesleyan to withstand both the ups and downs of the economy and the changes in enrollment that are unavoidable from one academic year to the next.
An endowment gift may be designated for a specific purpose, such as faculty development or scholarships, or it may be undesignated. It can be made in many forms, such as cash, stock, life insurance or real estate. In any case, the gift will be invested and only interest income from the gift will be used each year for the purpose designated by the donor.
To find out more about how to contribute to an endowment fund, please contact the Office of Advancement at (817) 531-4404.
