President Phipps Announces "Opening Doors" Initiative

On October 19, 2006, speaking at the fall Trustee's Dinner, Messiah College President, Kim S. Phipps, announced the Opening Doors to Educational Opportunities financial aid initiative. The program, which seeks to develop strong support for student financial aid, encourages donors to give "the gift of a Messiah College education" to all qualified students, regardless of their socioeconomic background or limited financial resources.

The initiative will seek to raise $20 million over the next five years in combined endowed funds and annual gifts designated for student aid.

"This effort," Phipps announced, "when completed, will more than double the current amount of endowed scholarship funds available to the college and provide more than $1.5 million in additional annual scholarship aid for qualified students who have financial need."

Because the value of a Christian education at Messiah College is widely sought, the need for student financial aid has never been greater. Currently, 96% of all Messiah College students receive some type of financial aid, and the college will award more than $20 million dollars of institutional financial aid in the current 2006-07 academic year. Despite this huge commitment, many prospective students will face unmet need over and above their family's resources. Many times financial aid support is the essential factor that determines whether a student is able to enroll at Messiah College.

Nationwide, college students are graduating with increased amounts of debt. Messiah graduates are not immune to this national trend. In fact, 77% of Messiah students now graduate with education-related debt. Some of these students, who have trained for lives of servant leadership, are precluded from missions work and service-related occupations due to their debt loads upon graduation.

Messiah College is committed to recruiting and retaining all qualified students regardless of their financial need. To meet this challenge, the college is asking alumni and friends of the institution to consider gifts toward student financial aid and, specifically, to consider endowed scholarship support.

Anyone interested in more information about the Opening Doors to Educational Opportunities initiative is encouraged to contact Robert Brown, Director of Planned and Leadership Giving, at the address/telephone number listed below, or email at bbrown@messiah.edu.

Robert O. Brown ’82, CFP
Director of Planned and Leadership Gifts
Messiah College
(717) 796-5051
800-215-5344

Office of Development
P.O. Box 3013
Messiah College
One College Ave.
Grantham, PA 17027