A Contribution and a Challenge – Albertson College of Idaho receives $17MM grant from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation.

Albertson College of Idaho http://www.albertson.edu is celebrating today. We have just received great news from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, and this news follows closely a week marked by success, success that has followed two years of effort and sacrifice. And we are extremely grateful.

Two weeks ago the college was informed that the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities removed the probationary status from ACI’s accreditation. Also, the college is making excellent progress in the Scholarship Drive. Five months into the drive, the college has raised $3 million toward the $5 million goal with more than two years remaining to reach the goal. Admission efforts are showing real promise — with 1004 applications received to date, compared with 499 last year. The percentage of the alumni giving to the college has improved over the last several years, moving from 12% to 18%.

Today presents a new reason to celebrate, and with that a challenge for the college community. ACI is the recipient of a generous $17,000,000 grant by the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation. The college will receive $2 million of the grant this year and $5 million per year for the following three years. There is no doubt that this grant will help move the college forward in its mission of providing an excellent liberal arts education and enhance its position in the national rankings,’ ACI President Bob Hoover said. ‘We could not be more grateful to the foundation for its generosity.’

With this generous act comes several important challenges from the Foundation.

‘The lifeblood of the college is its alumni,’ President Bob Hoover said. ‘Without the support of our alumni, ACI cannot hope to fulfill the goals set by the J.A. and Kathryn Foundation.’

One of the key markers the J .A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation will watch to determine future investments in ACI will be the percentage of alumni giving in addition to other fundraising efforts. To demonstrate alumni support, the percentage of alumni giving will need to increase 2% per year each of the next three years.

To share in the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation’s mission of improving Idaho education, one of the areas of distinction on which Albertson College of Idaho will focus is the education of future teachers in our Education and Master of Arts in Teaching programs. Some of the funding will be used to expand the college’s efforts to prepare a new generation of instructors to educate Idaho’s children and Idaho’s teachers.

Another Foundation interest is that ACI work to gain greater national recognition. One way this can be accomplished is to move ACI into the top 100 liberal arts schools in the nation or at least prepare to move in that direction. This year, Albertson College of Idaho was recognized recently by the Princeton Review as 12th among the ’77 Best Values’ in all of U.S. higher education and was ranked 11th in the nation for ‘Professors Bringing Material to Life.’ Intel ranked ACI as 12th in the nation, 2nd among the nation’s liberal arts colleges, and 1st in the Northwest in wireless technology. Even through our recent challenges, the school was consistently ranked with the best liberal arts colleges in the nation. Now we will be poised to move to an even stronger position.

To move up in the rankings the college must enhance several other areas that weigh heavily in the rankings including the competitiveness of the student body. The college will also use the funding provided by the Foundation to boost advancement activities such as recruitment, marketing and communications, fundraising, faculty and staff salaries and benefits, several areas of distinction, and invest in campus upgrades.

‘We believe with more national recognition and an increased focus on areas of distinction, ACI will attract the best and brightest students from Idaho and elsewhere and give them the kind of experience which will lead them to remain and contribute to this state,’ said ACI Board of Trustees Chair Ken Howell. ‘Many of our students find that Idaho is a desirable place to live and work. Attracting and keeping talented students to Albertson College of Idaho is important to the economic future of Idaho and the Albertson Foundation grant will make this possible on a scale greater than any time in the past.’

It is our hope that the J. A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation investment will inspire others to invest in the future of Albertson College of Idaho.

Albertson College of Idaho is celebrating today. But with this celebration comes recognition of the work that lies ahead. As you join in the celebration, we ask you to support the challenge so generously presented by the J. A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation.

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