2022-23 Annual Report
In reflecting on our steadfast commitment to excellence in education and fostering opportunities for student growth, this report stands as a testament to the unwavering dedication and hard work of our students, faculty, staff, and supporters. As we prepare to support Transforming Learning, Transforming Lives: The Levavi Oculos Strategic Plan, our university’s strength grows, and our expanding community of supporters and partners propels us forward. Looking ahead, we are called to capitalize on our positive trajectory, uniting in our commitment to collaboration, teaching, and ensuring the brightest future for the coming decades.
As I begin my second year as Vice President for Institutional Advancement, I consider it a daily privilege to witness your philanthropic gifts transform Hollins and the lives of our students. My team and I are excited to bring this annual report to our readers and share a snapshot of the support received over the last year, yet it can never reflect the totality of your contributions to Hollins. In addition to your financial support, we recognize your gifts of time, talent, and expertise which cannot be overlooked.
We are truly grateful for your generosity and appreciative of your loyalty and all the ways in which you uplift Hollins. It is our hope that others are inspired as they review and celebrate the exceptional commitments made to our beloved institution.
Just this past year we saw your generosity come to life with the opening of The Green, the integrative learning commons in the Wyndham Robertson Library. Together, we “moved mountains” on our annual Day of Giving. Looking ahead, I am most excited about Transforming Learning, Transforming Lives: The Levavi Oculos Strategic Plan. By 2030, Hollins will have implemented integrative learning practices, equity-minded access policies, extensive experiential learning, compassionate challenge, and holistic wellness to meet our mission call and ensure our sustainability.
I am so proud to be a part of the Hollins family as we embrace and further our essential 182-year-old mission and support our beloved campus community. Your generosity enables us to create an increasingly holistic and enriching environment for our students, faculty, staff, alumnae/i, and friends.
I look forward to all we will accomplish together in the coming years.
Sincerely,
Anita Branch Walton
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Endowment—Total Assets Market Value
Fiscal Years Ending June 30
Hollins donors expand opportunities for learning and living well in the Hollins community and beyond.
President’s reception in Roanoke.
In fiscal year 2022-23, donors invested just over $2.56 million in capital projects. In October 2023, space was reallocated in the Wyndham Robertson Library for student success-oriented resources, providing students with a singular point of access to academically aligned opportunities. Co-locating the Rutherfoord Center for Experiential Learning and programming provided by Student Success, Well-being, and Belonging (SSWBB), including HU Connect and DEI, helps to foster greater collaboration among these programs and facilitate availability for students. In addition to housing student accessibility services, the renovations to the library include academic support, enhanced and varied study spaces on all floors, new classroom space, and a podcasting studio.
Donors also invested in the expansion of the Student Apartment Village. With this visionary philanthropy, the village has expanded to nine home-style residences, giving Hollins students a beautiful and welcoming place to live, work, and dream. Located atop the crest of the Hollins campus on what was known as Faculty Avenue, the village is part of a vibrant and diverse mix of housing options for Hollins students and is a highly desired housing option.
Hollins Fund.
Your generous contribution to the Hollins Fund plays a vital role in recruiting and supporting high-achieving students, enabling them to excel both academically and personally. The Hollins Fund accounts for 11% of the operating budget each year. The funds raised through the Hollins Fund primarily support student scholarships. At the core of Hollins are its dedicated students and faculty, and your annual gift ensures the provision of the quality education they deserve. In fiscal year 2022-23, the Hollins Fund made a significant impact, contributing $3.1 million of the total $12.7 million in philanthropic contributions. Your ongoing support allows us to offer attractive designations within the Hollins Fund, focusing on general scholarship; student success, well-being, and belonging; and internship and study abroad opportunities, which can be transformative for students’ experiences and future careers. Thank you for joining us in our mission of bettering society one Hollins student at a time.
For more information on the Hollins Fund, please contact Noelle N. Cook at cooknn@hollins.edu or (540) 362-6411.
Gifts to the Hollins endowment create the foundation to strengthen our academic programs and support our students into the future.
Hollins continues to operate within the board-approved budget and with no external debt. Much of this financial stability is due to our alumnae/i and friends who, devoted to Hollins’ long-term financial health, added just over $30.8 million to the endowment last fiscal year. This includes the $25 million pledge payment to the Levavi Oculos Endowed Scholarship Fund, which was created in December 2021 with a pledge of $75 million from a generous anonymous alumna, the largest gift ever made to a women’s college. As of June 30, 2023, the Hollins endowment boasted a market value of $254.8 million.
Donors made Hollins a lasting part of their legacy.
Houston alumnae/i reception
During the last fiscal year, Hollins received one new revocable bequest intention for $250,000 and received 13 total bequests for $497,848. Alumnae/i, parents, and friends who have indicated that they have made a bequest provision or planned gift commitment for Hollins in their estate plans are members of the Heritage Society. Today the Heritage Society has 506 members.
For more information on planned giving, please contact Suzy Mink at minks@hollins.edu or (202) 309-1750.
Volunteers, who give their time and talents making Hollins a better place, make Hollins better for all of us.
Our volunteers are the heartbeat of our organization, infusing passion and dedication into every role they undertake. From the class reporters, reunion gift chairs, Alumnae Board, Board of Trustees, and more, their selfless contributions drive the success of our operations. Their diverse skills and unwavering commitment amplify our impact, making a lasting difference. We extend heartfelt gratitude to each volunteer for their invaluable service, shaping a brighter future together.
For all 2022-23 volunteers (364 total):
To show the impact of our volunteers, our reunion gift chairs for the classes ending in 3s and 8s and the class of 2021 made a huge impact for Reunion 2023.*
* Reunion award totals are as of Fiscal Year End on June 30, 2023.
2022-23 Volunteer Leadership
2022-23 Board of Trustees
Patricia Thrower Barmeyer ’68
C. LaRoy Brantley
Tracy Roberts Frist M.A. ’03, M.F.A. ’14*
Callie Virginia (Ginny) Smith Granade ’72
Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale ’75
Lucy Davis Haynes ’84
Antoinette Hillian ’00*
Paul Hollingsworth
Dr. Cynda Ann Johnson
Mary Terrell Joseph ’66*
Leslie Dunne Ketner ’84
Sandra Kiely Kolb ’70
Elizabeth Brownlee Kolmstetter ’85
Anne Lindblad ’79
Dudley Wood Macfarlane ’77
Debra Cartwright Meade (board chair)
Janet C. Nicholson ’69
John W. Poulton
Elizabeth Goodman Pritchard ’80*
Karen Rabenau ’89
Sabrina Rose-Smith ’00
Savon Shelton Sampson ’04
Natasha Trethewey M.A. ’91
Will Francis Trinkle*
Alexandra Trower ’86
* Last year of service, 2023
2022-23 Alumnae Board
Emily Daniels Ashton ’06
Nancy Peterson Benninger ’02
Allison McHenry Bough ’93
Blair Neill Celli ’03
Anna Cork ’96, M.A.L.S. ’04
Susan Schnider Duke ’76
Diane M. Hall ’88
Kristin Jeffries Henshaw ’94
Antoinette Hillian ’00 (president)
Linda Bertorelli Jennings ’85
LaNita Lykes Jefferson ’07
Christine LeFever Kmieczak ’92
Jeanne “Scout” Moran ’16*
Emily Morgan ’79*
Dee Mudzingwa ’07
Beatrice Shaw ’91
Elysse Stolpe ’10*
* Last year of service, 2023
Giving Society Recognition
We are profoundly grateful to our donors who give loyally each year, make leadership gifts, and those who include Hollins in their estate planning. Thank you for lifting up Hollins. Many of our donors are recognized in the following giving societies:
Levavi Oculos Society
The Levavi Oculos Society is a lifetime giving society for donors whose cumulative giving to Hollins surpasses $1 million. The university motto, Levavi Oculos (from the 121st Psalm: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills”), emphasizes leadership and service in accord with Hollins values and traditions.
The 1842 Society
The 1842 Society is composed of some of the most passionate and dedicated donors and friends of Hollins. It honors the year that Hollins was founded and is the brainchild of Pat Thomas Bain ’49, who helped to establish the society in 1968. Members of the 1842 Society give at least $1,842 during the year to any designation at Hollins, though the majority of donors choose to make their gifts directly to the Hollins Fund.
The Heritage Society
Alumnae/i, parents, and friends who have indicated that they have made a bequest provision or planned gift commitment for Hollins in their estate plans are members of the Heritage Society. Today the Heritage Society has 506 members.
Miss Matty’s Circle
Miss Matty’s Circle recognizes young alumnae/i and students who are leadership donors. Miss Matty’s Circle honors Matty Cocke, daughter of Hollins’ founder, president of Hollins from 1901 to 1933, and the first woman to head a college in Virginia.
Marian Wolff Young Society
The Marian Wolff Young Society is named in honor of Marian Wolff Young, class of 1929, who made a gift to Hollins every year from her graduation until her death in 2008—nearly 80 years. The Marian Wolff Young Society recognizes those donors who give every year since graduation.
Ways to Give
Credit Card Online
Make a one-time or recurring gift online on our online gift form (alumnae.hollins.edu/gift). Hollins accepts American Express, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.
Checks
Mail a check (or set up an automatic bill pay with your financial institution) to:
Hollins University
Institutional Advancement
Box 9629
Roanoke, VA 24020
Wire/ACH Transfer
Contact the Institutional Advancement Office at (800) 846-5371 or email gifts@hollins.edu with your name, intended gift amount, and the purpose of the gift. Hollins will share account information for the transfer upon request.
Securities: Stocks and Bonds
Contact the Institutional Advancement office at (800) 846-5371 to give the name of the stock, the number of shares you intend to transfer, the approximate value of the stock, and the purpose of your gift. Have your broker call or send an email to Jodie Wertz-Sutphin or Stephen Waskey at the Roanoke office of Morgan Stanley: jodie.wertz-sutphin@morganstanley.com; (540) 983-4907 or (540) 983-4913.
Give Through your IRA
If you are 70 ½ or older, a charitable gift transferred from your IRA by December 31 directly to Hollins will not be taxed and can also satisfy your required minimum distribution (RMD), maximizing the benefits to both you and Hollins. Contact Suzy Mink ’74 at (202) 309-1750 for more information.
Real Estate or Personal Property
Hollins accepts gifts of real estate or personal property (art, horses, etc.) for related use.
- For gifts of horses for the Hollins Riding program, please contact Sherri W. West, director of riding/head coach at westsw@hollins.edu or
(540) 808-7701. - For any other type of gift, contact the Institutional Advancement Office at (800) 846-5371 or email gifts@hollins.edu to be connected with the appropriate staff member to discuss your donation.
Payroll Deductions
Faculty and staff of Hollins University are eligible to sign up to make their gift to Hollins through payroll deduction.
Donor Advised Fund
Direct a grant to Hollins through your Donor Advised Fund.
Planned Giving
Create a legacy at Hollins through a bequest or other deferred gift. Contact Suzy Mink ’74 at (202) 309-1750 to discuss the options.
Matching Gifts
If your company, your spouse’s company, a company from which you are retired, or a corporate board of which you are a member has a matching gift program, getting your gift matched is easy. Check with the company’s personnel office.