Carleton is very fortunate to be located in the charming, historic, and friendly town of Northfield. An attractive location is important not only to prospective students, but also to our faculty and staff, many of whom choose to make Northfield their home. The continued success of the College and the City of Northfield are inextricably linked. A strong college contributes to a strong city, and a strong city contributes to the strength of the college.
Since its founding, Carleton has always tried to be a good community partner to the City of Northfield. Today, we are taking a significant step in that relationship. I am pleased to announce that the College has pledged $2M in support of Reimagine Northfield High School, the proposed Northfield High School (NHS) renovation that will be voted on by city residents in November. If voters choose to approve this project, Carleton’s pledge will contribute to the construction of an academic addition to the school, reducing the total amount the city needs to levy from taxpayers.
Carleton has made past investments in the city, including through an annual, voluntary joint financial gift with St. Olaf totaling $160,000 per year. Carleton and St. Olaf are the two largest local employers in both Northfield and Rice County, employing more than 1,500 people combined, and are also two of the city’s top 10 property tax payers. Our students, too, are deeply connected to the Northfield community: three-fourths of Carleton students engage in local volunteer programs, internships, work study, and nonprofits each year. Carleton students also tutor and mentor in the schools through established programs like TORCH and Project Friendship. We especially value our academic partnerships with the high school, which include a number of Carleton faculty collaborating with NHS teachers on science education projects.
While we have a long history of support for Northfield, the College has never before made this level of commitment to a specific community project, and we believe that this pledge is among the first of its kind for a private college in Minnesota. Unlike corporations, which may choose to designate a proportion of their profits for charitable purposes, nonprofit institutions like colleges seldom make significant gifts to other organizations, as their funds are typically dedicated to the furtherance of their own mission. However, among colleges and universities nationwide, such targeted, one-time gifts are increasingly common, particularly among colleges located in rural areas, as institutions recognize the importance of supporting the success of their local communities.
It is important to note that Carleton’s pledge to the proposed Reimagine NHS project does not draw upon any tuition dollars. It is made possible by gift funds that the College can choose to devote to such purposes. Nevertheless, we recognize that, as with any expenditure, support for this project competes with other uses to which the money might have been put, and other needs that are important to our community. We believe that, in the long run, the College benefits greatly from a strong local school system, which helps us to attract and retain the extraordinary faculty and staff who are integral to Carleton’s success. And we believe that as a premier academic institution, it is appropriate for us to help support a quality educational environment for students in our local community.
On Friday, we will celebrate this announcement with a brief ceremony at Northfield High School at 10 a.m., and I invite any of you who are interested to attend. I look forward to the opportunity to commemorate the strong partnership between Carleton and the community we call home.
Featured in Carleton Today, August 29, 2024