For 160 years, Willamette University has benefited from strong fiscal management and a respectable endowment. While that record is a source of pride and strength, it is only a starting point. Today, the challenges that face all great universities are the same. It is how great universities face those challenges that sets them apart.

Currently we are tuition dependent. Tuition and fees now cover 63 percent of the University’s operating budget. The endowment must be robust enough to provide a much larger portion of the operating budget. The endowment gives Willamette the edge it needs to offer competitive faculty salaries and benefits, as well as opportunities for research and professional development. The endowment provides adequate financial aid to ensure a diverse and academically gifted student body. It gives the University the capacity to respond to new demands in technology and the sciences while supporting a competitive and nurturing learning environment.

The endowment is a true indicator of institutional strength and is the silent partner that provides Willamette with programs and services that often play a significant role in the daily lives of students and faculty. It provides curricular and co-curricular programs, scholarships and awards, lectureships, students services, and assistance with innovative and experimental projects.

The essence of this great University can be expressed in four words: leadership, opportunity, community and tradition. In these powerful words we find the core values of Willamette University – values that are as true today as they were in 1842.

Greatness always requires sacrifice. It also requires vision and grit. A gift to Willamette is an opportunity to keep a promise, to influence history, to create change, to give something back.