During fiscal year 2019, Sweet Briar College received gifts and pledges totaling $18.5 million. This includes generous donations from alumnae and friends of the College, foundations and corporations. Of that total, $10.2 million was for fiscal year 2019 and $8.3 million will come as future support. Since 2015, the College has raised $63.9 million.
“Sweet Briar has had a spectacular year that opened with recognition by U.S. News & World Report that we are among the most innovative schools in the country,” said President Meredith Woo. “S&P Global Ratings has also upgraded the rating for bonds issued for Sweet Briar College for three years in a row. Our success is owed to the support of our alumnae and friends. I’m humbled by their passion and generosity and we at Sweet Briar are singularly committed to being worthy of their support.”
Donations impact every aspect of College life. This year, alumnae and friends provided funding for scholarships and travel for prospective students, both of which help the College recruit and retain the best students. Donations supported the College’s Grants for Engaged Learning, which enable students to do in-depth research, travel abroad and participate in other hands-on learning experiences. Gifts have also helped Sweet Briar develop agricultural enterprises, rededicating itself to traditional strengths. In addition, donations enable the College to bring well-known speakers to campus. In 2018-2019, Sweet Briar welcomed writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, artist and activist Morehshin Allahyari, Bettina Ring, secretary of agriculture and natural resources for the commonwealth and Jim Hubbard, the undersecretary for natural resources and natural resources at the United States Department of Agriculture, among others.
Sweet Briar is grateful for the extraordinary support as we enter the second year of the new academic vision and repositioning of the College by educating the next generation of leaders in America.