During my interview to become vice president of institutional advancement in July 2016, the need to do a campaign for the renovation of Old Main was mentioned. As such, preparing and leading this campaign became a mandate for Institutional Advancement — now the Geneva College Foundation. The work of the Advancing Faith and Learning for the 21st Century campaign has been a 10-year effort.

From the start, our priority was to build relationships with alumni, to both nurture and reconnect alumni and friends with Geneva College. This has been one of the most energizing and challenging parts of our work. We identified alumni and friends who were willing to engage and value the College. Through this work, we have heard incredible stories.

I wish that all your stories were in a book for everyone to read. We loved meeting with you, hearing about your work, families, and involvements, and we looked forward to hearing your updates each year. As partners, you enabled Geneva to continue its mission and ministry of education, one that has become increasingly unique in the higher education landscape.

The priorities for the Advancing Faith and Learning campaign emerged through strategic conversations among the president, Policy Group (vice presidents and faculty representatives), faculty, and Board of Trustees.

Our first meeting with Brad Layland and Ted Rodgers of The FOCUS Group took place on April 23, 2019. They were selected due to their commitment to Christ, focus on building relationships, and a sense that Geneva donors would resonate with them. So here we are almost seven years to the day celebrating what God has done.

The FOCUS Group helped us work through the campaign brochure and guided us through every step of the campaign, and especially the feasibility study. Through the feasibility study, we gained feedback from alumni and friends about the campaign priorities, what they would give to, and an indication as to what range they would consider. This information was used by The FOCUS Group to recommend a campaign goal.

These conversations indicated that in addition to the renovation of Old Main, alumni and friends would give to projects that strengthened enrollment and increased endowment. It was decided that the campaign would focus on three primary objectives: renovations to Old Main, the building of a new Welcome Center, and an increase in endowment.

The feasibility study was completed by The FOCUS Group at the end of March 2020, just as the pandemic emerged. A decision was made to put the campaign on hold. President Calvin Troup and I met with each person interviewed in the feasibility study on Zoom in the summer and fall of 2020 to discuss the executive summary, share what we learned, and indicate that we were pausing the campaign due to the pandemic. Every person agreed with the wisdom of pausing the campaign and appreciated the feedback on what was gained through the feasibility study interviews.

Due to the 18-month pause, there was a need to update the 2020 feasibility study. The findings came back even stronger for the campaign projects. Participants saw that we followed their counsel in the revised campaign brochure. This information was taken to the Board of Trustees, who approved a $21 million campaign after much discussion in November 2021.

Campaign conversations began that month with lead and major donors, including all board members. Dwight Wagner ‘68 committed to the lead gift. Longtime friend of the College Roberta McFarland and family committed to the Welcome Center gallery. Board members, including corporators, trustees, and Foundation directors, committed more than $9 million to the campaign. Faculty and staff members exceeded their goals by committing more than $260,000.

This incredible generosity and support from within the campus community proved the importance of this campaign for the future of the College.

Endowment and legacy gifts and commitments exceeded the $10 million goal by October 2022. While endowment and legacy commitments continued to be made, the Foundation staff and president focused on the capital portion of the campaign.

Realizing that the pandemic resulted in increased construction costs, a new cost estimate was undertaken for the Welcome Center and renovation of Old Main in fall 2023. The updated estimate for construction came in at $16.2 million. After recovering from this news, a strategy was put into place to reach this new goal, including a third feasibility study.

In response to the updated cost estimate, Dwight Wagner offered to provide a $1 million match. Within five months, in mid-August of 2024, alumni and friends completed this match. As inflation continued to impact construction costs, Dwight Wagner provided yet another $1 million for the Welcome Center in early 2025. To honor his generous contributions, the building has been named the Dwight E. Wagner Welcome Center. (View construction updates here, including progress videos.)

The public phase of the campaign was announced at Homecoming in October 2025. At the time of this announcement, $1.56 million remained to reach the $16.2 million capital portion of the campaign.

To reach the remaining 25,000 alumni and friends, a communication strategy including video, email, and social media was planned. Our marketing team, led by Director of Marketing and Communication Chad Boler, did the heavy lift for the public phase, with the assistance of Andrew Frey, campaign manager.

Giving during the public phase totaled $3.1 million, exceeding all expectations. This was augmented by an estate gift of approximately $2.5 million and a gift of real estate. In the end, $40.8 million was given and committed to the campaign at large.

We are grateful to God for His blessing. It is He who blessed you and enabled you to give. It is He who nurtured your heart for Geneva’s mission. Without your generosity, we would not be celebrating today.

A campaign steering committee, a campaign executive committee, and a campaign prayer team provided strategic counsel and support throughout this effort. We are so grateful for each person who served on these committees and the faithfulness they demonstrated over the past four plus years.

I am grateful for the organizational support that Andrew Frey provided for the campaign. His work, along with Laura Furtado, director of advancement services, kept us organized and up to date on commitments made. Dr. Troup’s leadership, along with that of the three boards, provided a context of trust and confidence for donors to give. I am grateful for Dr. Troup and the gift officers who worked alongside me to invite others to participate in the campaign.

As a result of the incredible generosity, the Dwight E. Wagner Welcome Center will provide a beautiful front porch for the College and will house admissions giving flight to first impressions, as prospective students hear about Geneva’s ministry of education. The Joe and Roberta McFarland Gallery will stoke vibrant hospitality and strengthen enrollment.

Your generosity will refresh Old Main, making it fully accessible, adding to its beauty and comfort for concerts, stately lectures, and conferences, increase the number of classrooms, add air conditioning, and reveal the original beauty of the third-floor classroom ceilings, allowing their beauty to be enjoyed for the first time in more than 50 years.

We planned for a $21 million campaign. Through His grace, God provided $40.8 million through the generosity of 1,282 donors.

We rejoice in the words of Ephesians 3:20-21, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”