“It is not known precisely where angels dwell—whether in the air, the void, or the planets. It has not been God’s pleasure that we should be informed of their abode." –Voltaire

Unsettling times demand unusual measures, and Sarah Lawrence created its own abode for angels this year. Launched in January with a $500,000 gift from Board Chair John Hill and his wife Marilynn Wood Hill, the Angel Fund was created to raise $1 million for students whose families face increasing financial hardship and are in urgent need of help to cover tuition and fees. To date, the Hills’ inspirational gift has motivated other donors to supplement their annual donations to The Fund for Sarah Lawrence and collectively provide the new fund with an additional $350,000—quickly bringing us to 85% of our original goal for this critical venture.

The Angel Fund is an outstanding example of the Sarah Lawrence community’s vigorous response to the most severe economic downturn in seven decades. Since arriving at the College last September—just in time to see the stock market take that historic dive—I have been unfailingly impressed by the daily efforts of our fundraising staff and the philanthropic response of the College’s alumnae/i, parents, and friends.

Particularly encouraging have been gifts to the endowment, which sustains this institution over the long term. Acting on their awareness that Sarah Lawrence’s endowment has always been far less than those of our peers, and that the College could ill afford the investment losses of the past period, our supporters donated more than $5.7 million to the endowment during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009. This amount included a $1 million anonymous gift from one very proud parent.

Meanwhile, donations to The Fund for Sarah Lawrence have kept our day-to-day operating budget on a fairly even keel. By allowing us to apply the monies where they are most needed, these unrestricted gifts totaling $2.4 million have financed facilities maintenance and modernization, faculty research, academic initiatives, library technology, extracurricular activities, residential life, student services, scholarship aid, and other essentials of educational excellence and campus life.

Unfortunately, the amount raised was $200,000 shy of the goal set for the Fund. This shortfall occurred despite the fact that nearly all of the 2009 reunion classes donated more than 10 percent above the amount they gave in reunion year 2004. The commitment and generosity of these classes were especially appreciated in a such a trying economic year, and the Class of 2009 followed in the philanthropic footsteps of those earlier classes by providing its own graduation gift of $125,000 to the Fund. We hope these new alumnae/i will continue their financial commitment to their alma mater in the future and, like the Class of 2004, boast proud members of the Ruth Wilmot Anderson ’29 Society—donors who have given consistently for at least five years since graduation.

Those generous young graduates are already aware that the rewards of a Sarah Lawrence education last a lifetime. For them, and for everyone in our exceptional community, there is no stronger proof of this enduring relationship between institution and individual than bequests from graduates of past decades. This year, the College received bequests totaling nearly $3 million from these devoted alumnae: Virginia Barr ’40, Connie Berger ’51, Emily Callaghan ’41, Elizabeth Chamberlin ’47, Patty Goodrich ’53, Valerie Becton Mills ’41, Berelle Samuel ’44, and Nancy Wynkoop ’46. Each of these women is remembered here with deep affection and admiration, and she and her family will forever have the gratitude of the campus community.

On behalf of the students, faculty, and staff of Sarah Lawrence College, I thank everyone who has contributed to our fundraising successes of the past fiscal year. I would, however, like to stress that, as far as we have come in covering the ground lost to the steep economic decline, we have many miles to go. It is my hope that a clearer understanding of the College’s needs, along with the examples set by the donors cited above, will inspire more benefactors at every level to step forward and support Sarah Lawrence in the challenging months ahead.

Robert Sweet
Vice President of Advancement