When it comes to the College’s From the Heart, For the Kingdom capital campaign, the glass is neither half-full nor half-empty. It’s more than three-quarters full. 

According to the latest figures, the campaign has raised 86.3 percent of the $175 million goal. This leaves just 13.7 percent to raise by June 30, 2018, the end of the fiscal year. While that’s a substantial sum by anyone’s reckoning, it seems eminently doable given the generous outpouring to date. 

“The Wheaton College community has outdone itself so far,” states Erin Shade ’92, Director of Donor Relations and Co-Director, Capital Campaign. “The priorities of Deepening Ethnic Diversity, Need-Based Scholarships, Planned Gifts, and The Welcome Center have all been fully funded. That’s cause for celebration—and gratitude.” 

However, the celebration is not complete until all priorities are fully funded, including: 

The Armerding Center for Music and the Arts still needs $18 million in generous gifts toward completing the concert hall building. The Center will be a major upgrade for the Conservatory of Music, which needs modern facilities to attract and serve student musicians and the whole campus.   

The Wheaton Fund still needs about $3.3 million to keep Wheaton affordable for every student and to continue our tradition of excellence. 

Christ at the Core needs additional funding to complete the transformation to a cross-disciplinary approach to the core curriculum. Starting from their first semesters, Christ at the Core will help students to explore their passions and interests through academic pursuits. 

Global and Experiential Learning, which also needs additional funds, will make a Wheaton education relevant in an increasingly multicultural world by increasing the cross-cultural competencies of students and faculty. 

Over the last year, the College has made its goals known at Wheaton Together events in New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago, and Saint Paul. The last two events occurred in Los Angeles on October 21 and in Dallas on November 11. 

“We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the generous support from our many Wheaton families,” says Lauren Wong ’08, the newly appointed Associate Director of Development. “We move forward with hopeful enthusiasm for all that is to come for our students.” 

So while there’s much to celebrate, there’s still much to do in order to fill the From the Heart, For the Kingdom glass to the brim.