Generous donors provided meaningful gifts throughout the year to enhance the living and learning environment at William Jewell College. Putting ideas into action requires resources, and William Jewell is blessed with supporters around the world.  The following foundations are supporting the college with major gifts.

Hall Family Foundation

In support of the College’s strategic plan, the Hall Family Foundation pledged $6.5 million. This is the largest single pledge commitment to Jewell in well over a decade and will provide the lead gift to create a library and learning common for the 21st century. The remainder of the contribution supports William Jewell’s nationally acclaimed Oxbridge Honors Program and funds for innovative collaborative learning initiatives.

“We have long appreciated Jewell’s emphasis on rigorous educational experiences. This support should help the College as it develops its focus on a collaborative and experiential liberal arts education,” said Hall Family Foundation Vice President Tracy Foster.

William Jewell College’s president David Sallee appreciates the Hall Family Foundation’s belief that the Kansas City region benefits from having a nationally recognized liberal arts college. “The Foundation’s support is crucial as we build an outstanding student experience in this region.”

William T. Kemper Collegiate Commons

As William Jewell works to create a library and learning common for the 21st century, the William T. Kemper Foundation has pledged $1 million in support. The gift will provide funding for the William T. Kemper Collegiate Commons, a space for students and faculty to study and collaborate. The Commons will pave the way for establishing a mentoring culture within the library.

“The William T. Kemper Foundation is pleased to be a part of William Jewell’s efforts to address the needs of research and scholarship,” said Michael Fields, Executive Director of the William T. Kemper Foundation. “The information revolution has expanded the methodology of academic research.  We are pleased to see that William Jewell, like other top colleges in the nation, is adjusting to meet the demands of the future.”

“The William T. Kemper Collegiate Commons will be a premier space in a facility that will stand as a visible symbol that William Jewell College is committed to building and sustaining a vibrant scholarly community not found elsewhere in the region,” said Dr. Chad Jolly, Vice President for Institutional Advancement. “We are pleased that the William T. Kemper Foundation shares our vision for how to best prepare students to lead and serve in a rapidly changing world.”

Mabee Challenge Grant

William Jewell successfully met the terms of a $1 million challenge grant from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation to assist in construction of the new $14 million Sorority Complex & Greek Common.

Although naming opportunities within the complex are still available, the Mabee Foundation grant represents a major gift toward completion of the project. The Complex will include four sorority houses with suite-style rooms and private bathrooms, all joined by the Greek Common which will serve as a focal point for Greek life on the campus. The Sorority Complex will open in fall 2009 on the site of the former Regent’s Quad apartments just north of the Mabee Center for Physical Education. William Jewell College has previously partnered with the Mabee Foundation to assist with the Yates-Gill College Union renovation and in construction of the Mabee Center for Physical Education.