As William Butler Yeats once stated, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” In today’s modern college environment, the fire is not lit with matches; it is lit with money. Following that philosophy, the Board of Trustees announced the “Our Time in History” campaign on September 24, 1999, a campaign designed to raise $50 million for the college in capital improvements by Dec. 2002.
On May 5, 2001, during the class of 2001 commencement, President Don McNemar made a statement regarding the progress of the campaign. “I am delighted with the steady progress of the ‘Our Time in History’ campaign and am pleased to announce that we are approaching 80 percent of our goal,” he said.
However, McNemar’s announcement last week that he would conclude his presidency in June of 2002 may significantly effect the progress of the “Our Time in History” campaign.
As Ty Buckner, Director of College Relations said, “capital campaigns such as ‘Our Time in History’ are usually based upon the assumption that the current administration will not change before the campaign concludes.”
Buckner feels that despite McNemar’s absence, the campaign will continue until its goal is reached. “The campaign has built up so much headway under Don already, that it is very unlikely that the last 20 percent of the goal will not be successfully met,” he said.
As part of the public announcement of his resignation, McNemar said, “When I accepted the presidency six years ago, I told the Board of Trustees that given the challenges and opportunities of the college and my own strengths and talents, I would make a commitment to lead the institution for five to eight years, and that in order to meet the goals and needs set by the campus community, I would lead the college in a major capital campaign.” McNemar has said numerous times that the final year of his presidency would be devoted to meeting the $50 million goal of this capital campaign.
For many Guilford alumni, the choice to contribute to the campaign is a simple one. Eleanor Patrick, class of 1932, said that she decided to help Guilford’s campaign because, “It is with great pride that I can call Guilford College my alma mater.”