Ten years ago, Dr. David Bushman was inaugurated as President of Bridgewater College, taking the reins of a storied institution with a long history of offering a nurturing, supportive, small-campus liberal arts education to undergraduate students. In his inaugural speech, Bushman spoke of concerns about the rising cost of higher education and the need to prepare students for 21st-century careers — issues that remain more relevant than ever a decade later. But he also planted the seeds of a vision for Bridgewater College that would blossom into reality in the decade to follow.
“The opportunity clearly exists for Bridgewater to achieve a very public and very prominent level of excellence,” he said in his April 2014 address. “And for our graduates to have a profound impact on the world.”
Over the next decade, Bushman led the transformation of Bridgewater College into a leader in the movement to make transparent the real costs of a college education while developing programs that prepare students for successful lives after college. These efforts earned BC recognition as a College of Distinction and a U.S. News & World Report Top Performer in Social Mobility.
Intentionality was at the forefront of every step along the way, beginning with The Vision for Our Future: Strategic Plan 2025. The result of an inclusive process to create the blueprint for the years to come, the plan laid out the steps to take BC to the next level: develop new curricular and co-curricular programs, build stronger connections among students, faculty and alumni and then communicate those successes to stakeholders.
As a result of those efforts, Bridgewater College now has named, endowed schools. BC has a clearly defined brand. Through the undertaking of a Strategic Resource Allocation process, the College collectively determined which programs to prioritize and expand and has done just that — launching new programs in engineering, biochemistry, esports and a marching band, curricular and co-curricular programs sought by today’s prospective students. And then there’s the creation of the John Kenny Forrer Learning Commons, the first major capital project in the College’s history to be fully donor funded.
Change was everywhere. But the College ensured that faculty, staff, alumni and supporters not lose sight of what makes a Bridgewater College education so special—the connections. Connections to big ideas and important conversations. Connections to the teacher-scholars who become mentors and the classmates who become friends for life. Connections to new possibilities and new opportunities while in school and after graduation. The connections made at BC for more than a century were at the centerpiece of every change made over the past decade.
And, so, Connections: The Campaign for Bridgewater College was born with the goal of fostering more of these connections for students now and into the future. This $35 million fundraising campaign entered its public phase on May 18, having already reached more than 85 percent of its goal. The campaign will raise funds to support what Bushman has described as three strategic priorities for the next decade: current-use scholarships, teaching and learning initiatives and capital projects.
The first pillar of the Connections Campaign is focused on soliciting contributions to the Eagle Fund, which provides current-use scholarships to Bridgewater students. Designed as a complement to the College’s endowed scholarships, 100 percent of the donations to the Eagle Fund go directly to student scholarships. Alumni, parents, friends and even fellow students can contribute any amount and help make a BC education possible for more eligible young people. So far, half of the Eagle Fund’s $10 million goal has been reached, with plans to distribute the funds to students over the next decade.
The teaching and learning pillar of the Connections Campaign is focused on raising endowed and current funds to provide more high-impact educational opportunities for students and professional development funding for faculty. Among the early donors to this pillar were those who established the College’s first two named schools: the Bonnie Forrer and John Harvey Rhodes School of Arts and Humanities and the Rev. Wilfred E. and Dr. Joyce A. Nolen School of Business and Professional Studies.
The capital pillar of the Connections Campaign is focused on raising funds to enhance living and learning spaces on campus. In the quiet phase of the Campaign, donors contributed funds for the creation of the outdoor learning space that is Rebecca Quad, the renovation of Bowman Hall, upgrades to Jopson Athletic Complex and a planned renovation of the College’s old Alumni Gym into a new Center for Career Development.
Now that the Connections Campaign is in its public phase, Vice President of Institutional Advancement Meg Flory Riner encourages everyone to support the College at any level.
“No matter the amount, everyone can be a part of the Connections Campaign,” Riner said. “The entire BC community can join together to make a collective impact on the future of Bridgewater College and our students.”
Story originally published in Bridgewater magazine (spring/summer 2024) as: BC Launches Connections: The Campaign for Bridgewater College
