Catawba College contemplates future with $200 million gift

Catawba College has been given $200 million by an anonymous donor. It's the largest donation in the school's 170-year history.

Catawba is a small private college in Salisbury that enrolls 1,200 undergraduate and graduate students. One third of the gift is earmarked to enhance programs in environment and sustainability, with the remaining money dedicated to supporting strategic initiatives, improving the workplace, and investing in faculty.

Currently all on-campus undergrads are provided with financial aid, and Catawba president David Nelson says a portion of the new funds will strengthen student scholarship programs as well.

“We believe at Catawba that talent and possibilities for students to thrive exist equally across the population, but opportunity doesn't exist equally across the population,” says Nelson. “This was a gift that was directed to help us to give opportunities to really talented students who have bright futures who just need the opportunity to come and succeed and thrive.”

Nelson calls the extraordinary gift an affirmation of the quality of education at the school, and says it funds their ability to plan for the future.

“The gift allows us to imagine that, but then to go do it,” he says. “It's one thing to make plans, and not have the resources to do it. We're about to make plans and imagine our future while someone has offered such generous resources to us.”

Earlier this year, Catawba received gifts totaling $18 million — retiring the college's debt. It's new endowment now exceeds $300 million.