Alumni and Friends
So That Others Might Learn. . .
A Case for the Annual Fund Campaign
Several years ago, a significant event happened in America’s Roman Catholic churches. A special collection was taken for the many religious men and women who had spent their lives educating the children of the latter half of this century, and who were now struggling to make ends meet because they had no retirement income. This request for funds was remarkable in several ways. For a brief moment, each member of the congregation reflected on his/her life remembering the teachers of their youth. These teachers contributed so much to what he/she is today. What were they doing now? Were they in the desperate straits being proclaimed from the pulpit? How could the congregation help?
Individuals reached into their wallets and emptied the contents into the collection basket. The moment was immediately followed by quiet reflection. These were the people who helped us and now it was our turn to help them. Later news reports revealed that the generosity in the churches that day produced the single largest collection in the history of the American Catholic Church.
Benedictine University at Springfield has been blessed with the presence of the Springfield Ursuline Sisters community. These women have given their lives so that students at Springfield Junior College and now Springfield College in Illinois might be all they can be. Women like Mother Barbara Klaholt, Mother Thomas, Mother Josephine, Mother Borgia, Sister Carmelita, Sr. Loyola, Sr. Annunciata, Sr. Regina Marie and Sr. Beata worked (work) at our college. Because of their dedication and self-sacrifice, thousands of men and women have partaken in the fruits of a Catholic and Ursuline education.
The contributions of the sisters are known as “contributed services.” Through dedication to education, they donate their services to the institution so that others might learn. These contributed services enabled the institution to grow and to mature without incurring a high payroll overhead. The result was that students who attended Springfield Junior College and now Springfield College in Illinois were able to benefit from a Catholic and Ursuline education at a cost that was not reflective of the true cost of their education. Through the sisters’ sacrifices, students were able to receive an outstanding education at a reduced price.
As the Ursuline faculty aged, retired and passed away, there was no influx of new sisters to take its place. Hence, the College relied on an emerging laity to replace its aging Ursuline members. This trend has continued. There is now only one Sister, Sr. Beata, working at Benedictine University at Springfield.
Emerging laity is gradually taking over positions formerly held by religious throughout our Catholic institutions – in parishes as well as in higher education. While this phenomenon is clearly a sign of the Holy Spirit continuing to work in the Church, repercussions are now beginning to manifest themselves. Lay people are now called to a high level of role modeling and mentoring. Where once nuns were the predominant Catholic and Ursuline presence on campus, lay people now provide that Catholic and Ursuline presence.
The transition from a religious Catholic-Ursuline presence to a lay Catholic-Ursuline presence has been gradual. While we trust that the transition will never be complete – that we shall always have sisters working at the College – the transition has been costly. Where once we had nuns who contributed their services to the College, we now have to replace them with dedicated and professional lay people whose services are not contributed. The result: the cost of providing a Catholic and Ursuline education to students continues to increase.
The College is fortunate to have many lay faculty and staff who continue the Catholic and Ursuline mission of the institution. The excellent educational tradition begun by the Ursuline Sisters of Springfield in 1929 continues today. Though the number of sisters has declined over the years, the enthusiasm and dedication to mission is as strong as ever. Yet, there are storm clouds on the horizon. To realize its mission of transmitting the Catholic and Ursuline education tradition to its students, the College must continue to provide a state-of-the-art facility staffed by the best faculty and staff available. We must do this while keeping tuition affordable.
In addition to the inability of the sisters to continue providing “contributed services” as they did in the past, the downturn in the economy has had an impact on Springfield College. Private institutions in Illinois get some state support (8.5 percent of the total higher education budget). Last year, $15,000 of state funding was cut from Springfield College in Illinois. On the first day of classes for this year, the College was notified that the governor did not fund the Illinois Financial Grant. This is another $60,000 cut from the College’s budget.
Students, parents and the College are doing their part. Students and parents are increasing their reliance on loans, and many students are working more to defray the costs of attending college. The College this year will provide approximately one-half million dollars in scholarships. Nevertheless, help is needed. The “scholarships” the College provides are not from some large endowment, but from tuition discounting. The discount rate for Springfield College in Illinois is 23 percent. That means the tuition of approximately $7200 is reduced by 23 percent. While this reduces the cost to students, it dramatically reduces the College’s income.
Throughout the history of Springfield Junior College and Springfield College in Illinois, the cost of higher education has been paid through the contributed services of the sisters. A new model for insuring the continuity of the Catholic and Ursuline educational tradition is emerging. Now alumni and friends who benefited from the charity of the sisters are coming forward through annual fund donations to help today’s students realize the same Catholic and Ursuline education they enjoyed.
This case statement for support of the annual fund campaign began by reflecting on the profound results the Church had in its request for Catholics everywhere to support religious men and women in their retirement. As we support our religious patrons and mentors in their retirement, let us not forget the ministry they left behind. No longer can Springfield College rely on the generosity of the Ursuline sisters. Rather, it must rely on the generosity of the alumni and friends of Springfield College in Illinois.
The sisters committed their lives and resources so that others might live life to the fullest. Can those of us for whom so much has been given be generous in our own way so that others (today’s and tomorrow’s students) may also live life to the fullest? This institution has always been a community – a family that looks out for each individual member. Through this annual fund campaign, you are asked, as the sisters did for you, to support today’s students. Please take a moment, and send your annual gift to the College so that others might learn – as you did.
College Advancement
Susie Doddek, Director
(217) 525-1420 Ext. 228
(217) 527-8015 FAX
Benedictine University at Springfield
1500 North Fifth Street
Springfield, IL 62702
Alumni Information
Please contact the Advancement Office with alumnus updates.