IMAGINATION
& HOPE WHAT THE IMAGINATION CAMPAIGN IS: capitalizing on the strengths of the community to move forward revenue-generating opportunities and build campus culture on an accelerated timeline.
WHAT IT IS NOT: a strategic plan.
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n January 2021, even as so much institutional energy was centered around managing Hollins’ Culture of Care approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, President Mary Dana Hinton recognized a need for the community to be thinking beyond those immediate tactical challenges and toward a promising and sustainable future for the university. She knew the best imagination and vision for what is possible is not the product of a single mind, but rather the amalgam of dozens upon dozens of engaged and optimistic stakeholders, especially faculty and staff. Working alongside the advancement team and Vice President for External Relations Suzy Mink ’74, Hinton was able to secure almost $10 million in gifts earmarked specifically to fund new initiatives and programs for the university that could be revenuegenerating and sustainable. Yes, Hollins and almost all universities are nonprofits, but the amount of annual revenue pulled in ultimately
dictates opportunities for growth and improvement. When done well, this can create a sort of virtuous cycle, where improvement and growth result in increased revenue, which then offers even greater opportunity for improvement and growth. The funds raised for the “Imagination Campaign,” as Hinton called it, were intended to inspire a quick and vital creative spark for the entire community. “Many observe that the path to longevity and sustainability is found by focusing squarely on the business model and finances. I disagree with that,” said Hinton. “I think it is critically important to focus on mission, campus culture, and the business model equally. You cannot, in the long term, enhance one without the others. All three must be gently held in relationship equally. “The future of the institution is at the intersection of those three elements. That’s the rationale behind all we did with the Imagination Campaign and the culture I hope we are building at Hollins.”
