Goal:
$26.5 M
Current Donations:
$15,204,241.00
Why This Campaign Is Needed
The mission and work of William Carey University are needed now more than ever. Although the swiftly changing culture around us races down the post-Christian road, the truths we believe are immutable:
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God exists
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the Bible is the inspired word of God
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all humans are separated from God by sin
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Jesus Christ is the perfect God-man whose life, death, and resurrection are our only hope for salvation
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the Holy Spirit is active in the world pointing people to Christ
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the church is the bride of Christ and God's primary conduit to act in human affairs
These truths are glorious. ​
These unchanging truths are the reason William Carey University was founded, and they continue to be the truths that inform and motivate our mission and our values:
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stewardship
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social responsibility
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academic excellence
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faith in God
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charity and grace
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the search for truth
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the modeling of Christian character
William Carey University could stay where it is and be productive and effective with the resources that God has already provided.
​Complacency, however, carries significant risk. We could easily lose the momentum that we’ve been building. We believe a major fundraising effort is necessary step to leverage God’s favor on our university and build on the recent success of our institution. William Carey University has always been faithful, but now it is emerging as a major influence in South Mississippi like never before.
The boost that comes with a fundraising campaign will position the university for growth and expansion for years to come
What It Will Cost
Academic Affordability
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University Life
Tradition Campus Housing & Dining Hattiesburg Dining
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Program Excellence
Thomas Hall
Lawrence Hall
Tennis Complex
Baseball/Softball Fieldhouse ​
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The Carey Fund ​
$10M
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$7M
$5M
$2M
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​$8M
$1.5M
$3.5M
$1.8M
$1.2M​
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$1.5M
Total Campaign Goal
$26.5M
The Time Is Now
Dr. Burnett has begun casting a vision for the future of William Carey.
Now is the time for friends of William Carey University to invest in its future - building on the momentum of the last five years, due in large part to the addition of the Medical School. Our school of education has also seen impressive growth.
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Energy and enthusiasm are high but the needs are urgent. We could easily lose this momentum – or we could continue building and take William Carey to another level of service, excellence, and influence.
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A number of faith-based institutions may not survive for another decade, because they are not strong enough to weather the coming economic and social challenges. Other Christian universities may survive but will abandon their mission in an attempt to appease critics and prolong their existence.
We reject both of those options.
We pledge to remain faithful to our mission and to not drift away from our Christian and denominational roots. We expect through careful planning, the support of friends like you, and trust in God that we will continue to survive and thrive, whatever comes our way.
This campaign is a step in that direction.
“EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM GOD; ATTEMPT GREAT THINGS FOR GOD.”
-William Carey
This campaign is our attempt to do exactly that. We know that $26.5 million is a lofty goal. But let us never say that we failed to dream big about what God can do through William Carey University. Let us never say that we doubted the urgency or the importance of our mission. From now until Christ’s return, the work of WCU will be vital and necessary in preparing leaders for the future to answer their diverse calling, and in proclaiming the glory of the Lord to the world around us. We want to do great things for God. And we trust and expect that God will raise up people like you to do great things of their own by partnering with us in our mission.
Will you join us? Your investment in William Carey University creates our future. Let’s attempt great things, together, and watch in expectation to see what great things God will do in response through our prayers, our diligence, and our faithfulness.
Dr. Ben Burnett
President
Academic
Affordability
ENDOWMENT
A university’s endowment is a collection of assets that is invested to produce an annual return in perpetuity. Though William Carey’s endowment has grown considerably over the past decade, it still stands at just $37 million, which is substantially less than competitive institutions of similar age and size. In today’s economic environment and culture, we must make significant gains in growing our endowment and launching new scholarships that can be deployed immediately. Our endowment goals through this campaign are threefold:
Unrestricted Endowment
Delivering an outstanding yet affordable education at a private, Christian university is a costly endeavor, but William Carey University is committed to this mission. Boosting the unrestricted endowment will allow us to keep our tuition competitively low and continue to provide free textbooks for our undergraduate students. A significant increase in our unrestricted endowment would be a vital help for us as we seek to build on our success and take our institution to the next level.
Faculty Endowment
Scholarship Endowment
In addition to the unrestricted endowment, we would like to endow faculty positions in order to recruit highly qualified professors who will invest heavily in our students. An endowed chair is a faculty position that is privately funded with a gift that generates enough interest to supply a salary for the professor in perpetuity, thus taking pressure off the operating budget.
When William Carey’s scholarship endowment grows, every bit of that support helps students by providing a Christian education to those who otherwise might not be able to afford one, particularly middle-income families who do not qualify for federal grants. The scholarship endowment supports academic, athletic, ministry, and talent scholarships that help recruit and retain students who are skilled in their fields and aligned with William Carey’s mission.
University Life
Through the Lord's providence, the main William Carey campus in Hattiesburg is in outstanding condition, following a 2017 tornado that caused massive destruction.
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Likewise, our Biloxi campus is in good shape after we rebuilt it in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
But still, with the recent growth of the University, we do have some pressing physical needs that, if addressed, would make William Carey even more attractive to prospective students and generate energy and excitement on campus.
CONSTRUCT HOUSING, DINING, & STUDENT LIFE SPACE IN BILOXI
Our Tradition campus in Biloxi desperately needs space for student life. The campus houses our pharmacy school and other programs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. While the campus itself is brand new, it doesn’t offer any dining or housing options. The coastal area of Mississippi is a highly populated region that is a large recruiting base for William Carey. Offering student life, housing, and dining space on the Biloxi campus would allow us to attract more students from that population center – while also better serving our current students – and give them a place where they can more conveniently pursue their studies.
​RENOVATE THE CAMPUS DINING HALL IN HATTIESBURG
The dining hall in Hattiesburg is one of the older buildings on campus, and it’s one of the few buildings that we did not lose in the 2017 tornado or renovate immediately afterward. The out-of-date facility needs a complete renovation that will match the rest of the recent campus upgrades, provide more space, and give our students a more aesthetically pleasing dining experience. The dining hall will accommodate 800 students, faculty, and staff after it is finished.
Program Excellence
EXPAND OUR TENNIS FACILITY
Our men’s tennis team won the conference championship this year, and both our men’s and women’s teams are regularly ranked in the top 10 nationally. This project would provide a new facility for tennis locker rooms that we currently do not have, as well as a viewing area.
BASEBALL/SOFTBALL FIELD HOUSE
Our baseball team closed their 2023 season by placing in the top 4 of the 2023 NAIA World Series and our softball team finished their 2023 season with eight total All-Conference players. The Bobby Halford Fieldhouse will provide a f irst-time facility that will feature locker rooms and an equipment room.
RENOVATE THE PERFORMANCE AUDITORIUM AND PRACTICE ROOMS
William Carey’s music program is one of our cornerstones. We have almost 250 music education students and more than 20 performance groups, including an orchestra, worship choir, and multiple bands, among others. The auditorium in Thomas Hall is outdated and was never fully updated when we repaired the building following the 2017 tornado. This project would enhance the performance hall by providing new seating, acoustic tiles, and a new projector system, among other improvements, in addition to a renovation of practice rooms – giving us a facility that matches the quality of our music programs and students.
Carey Fund
While funding of endowed scholarships is certainly a pressing need, a strong endowment also needs a healthy supply of unrestricted gifts.
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Unrestricted donations can be used at the discretion of university administrators, providing the institution with greater flexibility to use funds where they are needed the most.
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Unrestricted gifts provide ongoing resources to support the mission and work of William Carey University.
How to Achieve This Goal
Projected Gifts Required
$26.5M Campaign Assumes A 3-Year Pledge Period
THIS CAMPAIGN WILL DEPEND ON THE SUPPORT, PRAYERS, AND GENEROSITY OF THE ENTIRE WILLIAM CAREY COMMUNITY, INCLUDING THOSE WHO ARE PREPARED TO STEP FORWARD WITH LEADERSHIP GIFTS, NOT ONLY FROM CURRENT INCOME, BUT ALSO FROM STORED ASSETS.
WHILE WE FIRMLY BELIEVE THE LORD CAN PROVIDE THESE NECESSARY RESOURCES IN ANY WAY OF HIS CHOOSING, HISTORY AND EXPERIENCE TELL US THAT IT WILL REQUIRE ALUMNI AND FRIENDS TO MAKE COMMITMENTS ALONG THESE LINES.
