Carleton Launches $400 Million Campaign with Momentum from $50 Million Gift

Carleton College announces the launch of Every Carl for Carleton, a $400 million comprehensive campaign — the most ambitious in Carleton’s history. The campaign inspired a $50 million commitment, the largest ever received by the College.

The Every Carl for Carleton campaign stands on four pillars of success. First, Carleton will continue to enroll the best students by raising $150 million of endowment to provide more than $7.5 million in additional financial aid annually. Second, Carleton will continue to support outstanding teaching and learning by raising $159 million for innovative new spaces for science and music and for career-long support for faculty members to foster research and collaboration in the classroom and beyond. Third, Carleton will better prepare students for life and careers after graduation with $35 million to enhance access to hands-on experiential learning opportunities such as internships and externships, research opportunities, and community and global experiences. Fourth, by strengthening the college’s annual fund, with a focus on growing the fund to $10 million annually, Carleton will have the flexibility to support students and faculty each year, with unrestricted dollars to address the most pressing needs.

For the past three years, Carleton has been quietly securing leadership gifts to support the campaign’s priorities and to maintain the college’s presence among the nation’s preeminent colleges. To date, $315.7 million in commitments have been secured during the campaign’s early stages. Every Carleton trustee has made a gift to the campaign, raising more than $100 million of the total, and 57 percent of alumni have either made a financial commitment since the campaign began or volunteered in some capacity.

“Our trustees are extraordinarily generous and 100 percent committed to Carleton,” says President Steve Poskanzer. “We could not undertake such a historic campaign without them, and without the help of every Carl and friend of Carleton.”

“It is up to all of us to continue advocating for the liberal arts,” says Cathy James Paglia ’74, Carleton trustee and campaign chair. “By protecting and shaping Carleton’s future, we are supporting education that challenges students to think broadly, appreciate different cultures, and truly understand how to read, write, and analyze.”

Board of Trustees chair Wallace Weitz ’70, and his wife, Barbara Veach Weitz ’70, are both members of the campaign steering committee. Along with their children, Katie Weitz ’96, Roger Weitz ’99, and Drew Weitz ’02, the family has made a commitment of $50 million to the campaign — the largest single commitment from a donor family in Carleton’s history.

“Carleton’s success with the four pillars of this campaign—enrolling the best students, prioritizing innovative teaching and learning, preparing students for life after graduation, and flexibly meeting needs as they arise—allows us to provide the finest liberal arts education possible,” says Wallace Weitz. “With this campaign, we will safeguard the high-quality education Carleton offers for years to come.”

For more information, visit go.carleton.edu/everycarl.