Racing Toward the Finish Line
As the Redefining Greatness Campaign Approaches the Finish Line, We Invite You to Join the Race
Every race begins at a starting line. The starting pistol fires and the runners are off!
The year 2016 marked the beginning of IWU’s strategic plan and the starting line for the “Redefining Greatness” comprehensive campaign. Since then, the Lord has blessed IWU through generous donors who have given above and beyond in extraordinary ways.
During the quiet phase, a remarkable $53 million in special gifts have helped further our mission. That is, to change the world by developing students in character, scholarship, and leadership.
“In spite of the challenges we are facing during COVID, added to the challenges we face in higher education, it is amazing how God has blessed IWU through the faithful generosity of our alumni and friends,” said Dr. Scott Turcott, Vice President for University Advancement.
Running the Good Race
The funds given thus far (by over 10,000 people) have enabled IWU to provide scholarship dollars to over 1,753 students, and in turn, help each student pursue or obtain a Christ-centered education. These students are now in various stages of their journeys, with a host of them already utilizing their gifts and education to make a Kingdom impact in this world.
At the outset of the campaign, IWU laid out seven initiatives designed to infuse life into two of the strategic plan’s key strategies:
GREAT STUDENTS
We will recruit and support great students.
IWU Fund and Annual Scholarship
Endowed Scholarships
GEN-ONE Scholarships
Luther Lee Endowed Scholarships
GREAT PROGRAMS
We will offer great Christ-centered programs.
Intercollegiate Football Program
Ron Blue Institute
Innovation Fund
As a result of the generosity of our donors, these students have been able to prepare for their careers at an institution where they encounter staff, faculty, and administrators who care about them and point them to Jesus.
There are always more financially challenged students that we would like to help, and now more than ever, a Christ-centered education is desperately needed.
“I’ve been reflecting on the most precious and crucial purpose God has entrusted to IWU for the next generation. I believe the unapologetic, yet winsome, public articulation and practice of Biblically faithful and passionately Christ-centered scholarship, teaching, and mentoring is IWU’s greatest calling,” said Dr. David Wright, president of IWU. “In this historic moment, the mark of a great Christian university is not how many students attend, but how many learn to live differently for having been here.”
Our Rich Heritage
Drs. Wilbur and Ardelia Williams
IWU has been blessed with a rich heritage. God has honored the investment of time, talent, and treasure of those who have faithfully sought to serve in order to impact the Kingdom. He has blessed the commitment of those who have been part of fulfilling the mission and vision. People like faithful servants Wilbur and Ardelia Williams. There are not many who have modeled as they did the words of Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
As we pivot from our first 100 years to the next 100 years, we seek to honor our heritage and extend our legacy. We need to stand on the shoulders of saints like Wilbur and Ardelia as we seek to impact the world for the Kingdom.
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38
Join the Race
After four years of fundraising, the goal is in sight. As we enter the home stretch by launching the public phase of the Redefining Greatness campaign, we invite you to partner with us as we seek to expand the Kingdom by providing great programs that develop great students.
Invest in the mission and vision of IWU:
Call: 765-677-2230
Jeremiah Teesdale, Biology Pre-Med
To Reverend Kurtz and Mrs. Kurtz,
I’m Jeremiah Teesdale, a biology pre-med major. Thank you for the scholarship you provided. It could not have come at a better time. Recently I’ve had some rising anxiety over whether or not my funds would last through college.
As these fears built to a peak, God sent you to provide some peace. I am grateful and want to thank you for helping with my education. My goal is to enter the field of orthopedic surgery.
Thank you for putting your faith in me.
Sincerely,
Jeremiah L. Teesdale (Michigan)
Taylor Ingram, Elementary Education w/TESOL Concentration
Dear Mrs. Antoinette Murray,
Thank you for the John and Toni Murray Scholarship. Your generosity gave me the ability to attend IWU and continue my education. I was not sure how I was going to pay for school until I received word that I received your scholarship, so, thank you for your generosity.
I am a junior studying Elementary Education with a concentration in TESOL. I have a huge heart for others and a passion to fight for the voiceless. I love to learn new things and discover more about those around me. I am most excited to teach literacy as a future teacher.
The place I have the most passion for is the Dominican Republic, where I went on a mission trip to serve at a bilingual school that educates people who work in the sugarcane fields. It was there the Lord called me to be a teacher. After I graduate, I want to move there as a full-time missionary teacher.
Sincerely,
Taylor Ingram (Indiana)
Mario Love, Community Development w/Business Administration Minor
Offensive lineman Mario Love, a 5’11” 285 lb. junior from Gautier, Mississippi, came to Marion, Indiana to get an education and play football. He wanted to go far from home. He chose IWU because of the Christian environment and the chance to be a part of something brand new. He wanted to share that story with his kids one day, “…to show that it’s not bad to go far away from home, and to be able to tell them that I was a part of starting something great.”
Despite having a radically different background, a quiet demeanor, a beautiful Mississippi accent, and a father who was shot in front of his eyes during his first year of college, Mario has stayed the course finding purpose for his life, and family among the football team.
Mario is majoring in community development, with a minor in business administration and a focus in child advocacy. He wants to use his life to help people.
“Without football, I don’t know if I would be here. The football program has helped me to get out in front of everything. It helped me to get organized, taught me how to do good, and to hold myself to a higher standard in academics, and in life. If I were to rate IWU football between 1 and 10, I’d give it a 15.”
Mario Love (Mississippi)
