Southwest Baptist University News Release
Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications
BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist University will benefit from a grant from the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), which has awarded a $5,000 FIHE Capacity-Building Grant to the Missouri Colleges Fund.
The CIC announced recently a new Capacity-Building Grants program that has awarded $30,000 to six State Fund Members of CIC. State funds are fundraising associations for independent colleges in 32 states. They are members of the Foundation for Independent Higher Education (FIHE), which merged last month with CIC and continues to coordinate their activities.
The grants were awarded through a competitive grant program administered by FIHE. The state funds in Alabama, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri were selected for the awards, and each will receive $5,000 grants as seed money to enhance their capacity to raise funds, particularly for student scholarships, and to coordinate collaborative projects on behalf of the private colleges and universities in their states.
“These timely grants will help the state funds leverage additional funding to meet scholarship needs and other pressing priorities for private colleges and universities across the country,” said Ned Moore, executive director of FIHE.
Richard Ekman, president of CIC said, “We’re very pleased to have the opportunity to support our State Fund Members and the very good work they do raising money on behalf of the independent colleges and universities in their states.”
The grants will provide support for the state funds to launch fundraising campaigns for scholarships to make a private college education possible for students from underserved populations or who seek a career in specific fields, offer scholarships for students from rural areas, and provide support for lower-income and minority students, and for military veterans returning from abroad.
The State Fund Members were selected for the grants, and their projects, include:
Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities—will use funding as leverage to secure additional grants from targeted local foundations and corporations to support programs for minority and low-income students.
Independent College Fund of Maryland—will create a new high-tech, high-touch “Canvas of Communication” network that will link the state fund, donors, colleges, and students.
Iowa College Foundation—will implement a new Rural Scholars Program.
Michigan Colleges Foundation—will launch a campaign designed to raise $300,000 in scholarships for veterans.
Missouri Colleges Fund—will use funding to produce professionally-designed brochures in support of three themed fundraising programs: Missouri Mathematics and Science Scholars, First Opportunity Scholars, and Teachers First Program.
Minnesota Private College Fund—will support a board/volunteer leadership retreat to plan and implement a new and extensive major gifts initiative.
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About The Council of Independent Colleges
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of more than 600 independent, liberal arts colleges and universities and more than 70 higher education affiliates and organizations that work together to strengthen college and university leadership, sustain high-quality education, and enhance private higher education’s contributions to society. To fulfill this mission, CIC provides its members with skills, tools, and knowledge that address aspects of leadership, financial management and performance, academic quality, and institutional visibility. The Council is headquartered at One Dupont Circle in Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.cic.edu.
About FIHE
Founded in 1958, the Foundation for Independent Higher Education (FIHE) is the national partner in a network of member state fundraising associations. The Foundation secures financial resources in support of America’s independent colleges and universities and their students; develops collaborative programs within its network and with other organizations; and, together with its members, is a primary voice of independent higher education to corporate and philanthropic communities. For more information, visit www.fihe.org.
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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. Since 1878, the faculty and staff have created a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. The University has been named one of America’s Best Christian Colleges® for 14 consecutive years, one of America’s 100 Best College Buys® for 15 consecutive years, and it has been named among institutions with America’s Best College Scholarships ® for the past four years by Institutional Research and Evaluation, Inc. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.
SBU’s Office of Marketing & Communications is available to news media 24/7 at 417-399-7918.
