Catawba College has received an anonymous $200 million gift for its endowment, the third transformative gift of its kind to the liberal arts college in three years. Two-thirds of the annual distributions of this gift will provide unrestricted funding for the college and one-third will go toward programs promoting environmental education and sustainability, a long-standing strategic initiative of the institution.
“The goal of Catawba College is to provide its students with a liberal arts education that gives them opportunities to explore the world and learn to care for it,” said David P. Nelson, president of Catawba College. “This significant gift helps strengthen that commitment for generations to come and allows us to take bold steps now toward a cleaner future.” The college achieved carbon neutrality in 2023, seven years ahead of its 2030 goal, and has integrated sustainability, conservation and environmental stewardship into operations and campus life.
This gift, along with a gift of $200 million in 2021 and $42 million in 2022, brings the college’s endowment to over $580 million. The per-student endowment now approaches $500,000, which is among the highest in the Southeast.
The gift comes at a time when the Salisbury, North Carolina campus is undergoing significant development. Several projects are currently underway that align with the institution’s commitment to sustainability, community and student life:
- The Smokestack, a reclamation of the college’s old coal-fired power plant renovated to Living Building Challenge standards, will provide students with an additional 930 square metres of space.
- A new dormitory with 150 beds is scheduled to be completed in August 2026, and two other dormitories are currently being renovated. Sustainable construction is the focus of all three projects.
This and other recent gifts to the Foundation will fund scholarships to support high-achieving and needy students, grants for study abroad and out-of-state programs, internships, and research for students.
More than 1,230 students from 40 U.S. states and 26 countries study at Catawba College, which is recognized by the Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report as one of the best colleges in the Southeast.
