OPPORTUNITY
STARTS HERE
A Campaign for Keene State College
Though what we teach in our classrooms is evolving every day, we have always known exactly who we are. Keene State College has existed to change lives for the better: those of our students and those of the people they impact after graduation.
Student Access
Strategic Pillar:
Building an Inclusive Community
Whether a student is the first in their family to go to college, or a multigenerational Owl, Keene State is where opportunity starts.
And the opportunity for these students to learn from one another is transformative. It is key to Keene State’s commitment to preparing students to think critically and creatively, to engage in active citizenship, and to pursue meaningful work.
Priority areas include:
• Scholarship and Awards – to make a Keene State education accessible to all qualified students
• The KSC Fund – unrestricted support that directly benefits students
Program, Faculty,
& Staff Development
Strategic Pillar: Elevate Academics and Institutional Reputation
Keene State exists because of its people and the programs they build. From a financial aid counselor to a sustainability studies professor, faculty and staff bring KSC’s mission to life: to shape today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders.
And the programs that KSC’s people bring to life are what makes the College special. From the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies to our soccer teams, our programs are what make us, us.
Opportunity Starts Here: A Campaign for Keene State will play to our strengths, supporting and enhancing the people and programs that make up the core Keene State College experience.
• Program and Curriculum Development – including expansion of micro credentialing, certification programs and graduate programs
• Faculty and Staff Professional Development – including conferences, symposiums, and guest speakers
• Endowed Faculty Chairs and Professorships – to create esteemed positions and boost recruitment
• Technology – to enhance our teaching and operational capabilities
• Athletics – boosting a key recruitment tool and mark of distinction
High-Impact Learning
Strategic Pillar: Pathways to Degree and Career
Truly transformative educational experiences so often happen when classroom learning meets the outside world. It is there that students can see the opportunity the world can offer them—and what they can offer the world.
With its unique blend of liberal arts and career preparation, Keene State’s mission has always been about translating an education into real-world impact. High-impact learning is therefore a key component of Opportunity Starts Here: A Campaign for Keene State. From internships to study away, this investment will create the margin of excellence for our students to realize their full potential.
• Internship Funding – to allow more of our students to participate in these critical experiences and bolster our industry partnership
• Experiential Learning – including travel opportunities
funding the vision
Opportunity Starts Here: A Campaign for Keene State seeks to raise $20 million to support the impact areas that will build our vision. Ten million dollars of this goal will be in support of our endowment—a key component of long-term fiscal health and sustainability as outlined in our strategic plan.
$7.5 Million
Student Access
$10 Million
Program, Faculty, & Staff Development
$2.5 Million
High Impact Learning
$20 Million
Total
IN THEIR
OWN WORDS
Student and Donor Reflections
About
OPPORTUNITY STARTS HERE
A Campaign for Keene State
Opportunity Starts Here: A Campaign for Keene State brings our community-built strategic plan to life, and will help to shape opportunities for our students to go forth and better our world, for decades to come.
Our landmark campaign focuses on three key areas:
- Student Access
- Program, Faculty, and Staff Development
- High-Impact Learning
These three key areas will break down barriers to access a life-changing Keene State College education for a broader range of students; will build a core education—taught by the best instructors—that will enhance Keene’s unique mission, and will create transformative academic and co-curricular experiences for students to learn about how they can make an impact in the broader world.
And these areas support and represent the pillars of our strategic plan: to build an inclusive community; to elevate academics and institutional reputation; and to forge innovative pathways to degree and career.
Please join us in transforming the lives of our students and the world they will go out and impact.
Stories
Education and firsthand experience foster passion for conflict transformation.
Allison Newey ’23 is wasting no time putting her new degree to work. With a double major in Holocaust & Genocide Studies (HGS) and Political Science, and minors in International Studies and Theatre Arts, she is serving as a teaching assistant for the HGS 2023...
Morris-August honors program at Keene State College turns ten.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Keene State College Morris-August Honors Program. In 2013, the honors program was renamed in recognition of significant support from the William T. Morris Foundation and its President, Bruce August P’13. The primary...
Reunion Weekend 2023: Six Influential Alums Feted For Their Contributions And Successes
Reunion Weekend never disappoints. How could it, we have the best Alums! Festivities included a recognition luncheon in which six former students, two of whom are married, were recognized for accomplishments and service to their alma mater. The event also featured the...
Keene Endowment Association
GIFTS WITH A LASTING IMPACt
At Keene State, making an endowed gift is one of the most powerful ways to create a lasting impact. Endowment gifts support students, faculty, and programs—driving progress for centuries to come. Gifts made through the Keene Endowment Association (KEA) can be directed towards an area that is meaningful to the donor, and gifts of a certain size can be named to honor a family member or loved one.
Alumni Erin Black ’98 and Betsy ’67 and Bob ’68 Coll attended KSC decades apart, but they share an important commonality: they could not have anticipated the impact Keene State would have on their lives and careers. Recently, Black and the Colls have each established endowments to ensure future Owls can have the same life-changing opportunities at Keene that they did.
Impacting a Growing Field – Erin Black ’98
Being on campus again and seeing the quality of the students and academic curriculum filled Erin with pride for her alma mater and was the catalyst for establishing the Erin Walker Black Scholarship. The scholarship will benefit students enrolled in Keene’s Safety and Occupational Health Applied Sciences Program each and every year in perpetuity.
Leaving a Lasting Legacy – Betsy ’67 and Bob ’68 Coll
Betsy and Bob found career paths, and each other, at Keene State and are among the College’s most influential alumni.
The Colls recently established the Betsy ’67 and Bob ’68 Coll Scholarship Fund to ensure that the next generation of Owls can come to Keene State and find all the things they did: thriving careers; long lasting friendships; and, if you are truly lucky, long-lasting love.
Copyright Keene State College 2023