Endowment
The Lowell Whiteman School reaches $1,000,000 ENDOWMENT
We have an endowment! The Lowell Whiteman School has a meaningful, significant endowment with funds, investments and real spending possibilities!
As one generous donor so well put it in reference to achieving our endowment first phase goal: “The first million is ALWAYS the hardest. And the MOST exciting!!!!” Without the leadership of the Endowment Campaign chairs, Chris Lockwood and Erika Mayfield, and the determination of former Board Chair Steve Halverson, this campaign may have taken years longer to complete. Our board was determined to succeed, and with the leadership of Chris Lockwood and Steve Halverson, the board members stepped up in February of 2005 with a $150,000 matching challenge giving us the boost we needed. On October 21, 2005 the campaign was complete with a total of just over $1,000,000 in donations and pledges. A big thank you goes out to those who have believed and given to help us reach this milestone. Please note the funds that have been established below. THANKS TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS!
Endowment funds are the most powerful and lasting impact on the financial long-term security of a nonprofit educational institution such as LWS. The earnings of the invested funds provide support, in perpetuity, for:
- Financial Aid and Scholarships
- Need and Merit Based
- Faculty Support and Development
- LWS Award for Excellence in Teaching
- Faculty Salaries and Professional Development
- Intercultural Learning Experiences for Students
- Need-based Foreign Travel Financial Assistance
- Supporting Funds for Community Service Projects
- Technology and Library
- Computers and Library Resources
- Unrestricted
- General Operations, including Buildings and Grounds
Making your Gift - consider these options to help us get there.
- Cash/Credit Card - Most immediate impact.
- Pledges - Gift can be paid over a period of time but will count toward the match.
- Appreciated Securities - Perhaps a better option for your tax planning.
- Contact the LWS Development Office for additional gifting options that are available. 970-979-1350 X 28.
An Invitation to Invest
The Whiteman Experience transforms young people’s lives. Thanks to the pioneering vision of Lowell Whiteman and to the dedication of all who worked with and followed after him, The Lowell Whiteman School continues to offer high school students remarkable opportunities for personal growth. Education should make a difference to individuals and to the world in which they live. The Lowell Whiteman School graduates future leaders.
You are invited to become a partner in this endeavor to raise one million dollars to initiate the school’s endowment fund. Your financial support will help ensure that The Lowell Whiteman School continues to provide unique educational opportunities for today’s youth. As a donor to our initial endowment campaign, you have the opportunity to shape the future of the Whiteman Experience.
Summary of Endowment Initiatives
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Need-Based Aid
Merit-Based Aid
Faculty Support & Development
Lowell Whiteman Award for Excellence In Teaching
Salaries
Technology/Library
Computers
Library Resources
Intercultural/International Study
Foreign Travel Assistance
Community Service Projects
Unrestricted
General Operations/Buildings & Grounds
Financial Aid and Scholarships [30 to 45% of the overall goal]
Need-Based Aid
Financial Aid awarded on a need basis attracts a capable and diverse student body. Education is an expensive, labor-intensive, facilities-based endeavor. Many families of modest means cannot afford to send their children to an independent school without financial assistance. Until we develop a significant endowment, school tuition and fees must continue to fund 90% of the school’s operating expenses, leaving insufficient resources to provide significant need-based aid.
Merit-Based Aid
Merit-based aid helps the school to attract and retain outstanding students. These grants are reserved for students who exhibit exceptional leadership and motivation and the potential for national recognition - academically, athletically or both. Recently, LWS has been successful in attracting ranking scholars who are also national champions. For example, Travis Mayer, Class of 2000, earned early admission to Cornell University, a berth on the U.S. Ski Team, and the title U.S. Junior National Mogul Skiing Champion.
Faculty Support & Professional Development [20 to 30% of the overall goal]
Promoting Teaching Excellence
The “Lowell Whiteman Award for Excellence in Teaching Fund” will be established to recognize and support outstanding faculty and honor the Whiteman family. The Whiteman Experience requires versatile, committed, talented educators. By recognizing teaching excellence, the school will encourage teaching excellence. The award will endow a professional development stipend.
The school should support summer graduate study - both for young teachers enrolled in graduate programs and for experienced faculty strengthening their backgrounds in appropriate areas. As resources allow, participation in advanced placement workshops plus continuing computer education should be at the core of a consistent, professional development effort.
Salaries
A primary goal of the school’s long-range plan is to enhance academic excellence. Attracting and retaining strong teachers with relevant experience and advanced degrees require competitive salaries. While the school offers housing and other tangible benefits to many of its teachers, the base salary must rise for the school to remain competitive with alternative career choices.
Technology/Library [15 to 20% of the overall goal]
Computers
In a fast-changing technological environment, it is imperative for the school to keep pace with the advances in computer hardware and software. The School’s technology plan seeks to provide our students with current technology so that they may acquire and develop the necessary skills in preparation for their college work. Our two computer labs are used throughout the day, often with a student at every workstation. The continual use accelerates the need for regular maintenance and replacement.
Library
With the expansion and naming of the Gertrude Fetcher Library in 1997-98, the school has made significant additions to its collection both in print and electronically. However, the need is greater than what the annual operating funds currently provide. The traditional collection in some disciplines is inadequate, and the proliferation of on-line research opportunities presents a financial challenge that only additional funding from a growing endowment can meet.
Intercultural/International Study [10 to 15% of the overall goal]
Foreign Travel Aid
The foreign travel program at The Lowell Whiteman School has a long history, dating back to the 1950’s, and is an integral element of the curriculum. Venturing around the globe with faculty members, students are immersed in another culture for four weeks each spring. The experience allows them to gain a global perspective and an appreciation for other peoples. Even though travel is accomplished on a modest budget, the costs of the trips are on top of tuition and other fees. This unique component of the Whiteman program often presents a hardship for some families. An endowment that allows granting of foreign trip stipends would ensure that all students participate in these life-changing experiences.
Community Service Grants
In addition to learning from people in distant lands, the school is initiating annual community service projects in countries that are visited regularly. The opportunity to work side-by-side with our international hosts and to “give back” to that community is compelling. In the spirit of President John F. Kennedy’s Peace Corps, The Lowell Whiteman School seeks to establish ties with our world neighbors that become meaningful long-term endeavors.
Unrestricted [10 to 15% of the overall goal]
General Operations
Earnings from unrestricted gifts will be used to support the general operation of the school. This income will allow the school to mitigate tuition increases, maintain and improve our buildings and grounds, purchase needed classroom supplies, and generally pursue opportunities to enhance the educational environment.
Making Your Gift
Central to the future of The Lowell Whiteman School are those who commit to making a difference with a philanthropic gift. Your creative and generous financial contribution is the foundation for a successful Endowment Campaign.
When making your gift to the campaign, consider these options:
- Cash An outright gift of cash is the most direct way to make a charitable gift. Pledges may be paid over several years.
- Appreciated Securities These gifts may be exempt from long-term capital gains tax, but are valued at market for charitable tax deduction purposes.
- Life Insurance A fully paid policy or one on which premiums are due may be given to the school with favorable tax implications.
- Lead Trusts Income-producing assets may be placed in trust with revenue going to the school for a specified period of years.
- Gifts-in-kind Tangible gifts or real property that the school can use to advance its educational mission are tax-deductible.
- Matching Gifts Many employers match gifts of employees. Please check with your company human resources office for information and policies.
- Retirement Plan Assets Gifts from over-funded retirement plans may provide significant tax savings to the donor.
Endowment Campaign
Chris Lockwood, Erika Mayfield, Co-Chairs
Lowell Whiteman School Board of Trustees
Mary Ewing, President and Chair
Tim Borden
Wilbur Brown Jr.
Walt Daub
Erika Mayfield
Vivianne Pommier
Randall Reed
Stu Roberts
Jim Spillane
Jim Steinberg
Kevin Ventrudo
Nancy Ventrudo
Ed Walker ‘74
Gertrude Fetcher - Emeritus
Chris Lockwood - Emeritus
Steven Halverson - Emeritus
Wayne Kakela - Emeritus
Development Committee
Erika Mayfield, Chair
Gertrude Fetcher
Mary Ewing
Chris Lockwood
Jim Spillane
Steve Halverson, Ex Officio
Walt Daub, Ex Officio
School Staff
Walt Daub, Head of School