Together, we are defining the impact of a Ripon education

Since I first entered the presidential search process as a candidate last winter, I have been in awe of the commitment of Ripon College’s alumni, friends and community to this institution. This could not have been more evident than during this past year as we returned to pre-pandemic levels of alumni engagement, community activities and student involvement.

My first interaction with the larger Ripon alumni and community network was at Alumni Weekend in June when we welcomed more than 450 alumni and guests back to campus. It was awe-inspiring and energizing to witness firsthand the passion that alumni hold for Ripon as they reminisced about past memories and shared their enthusiasm for Ripon’s future.

For the second year in a row, Ripon has realized a record-breaking year in fundraising, with a large portion of that designated for the dynamic science center and on-campus

Institutional Initiatives

stadium infrastructure projects that will spearhead our drive toward enhancing the education of the future. Innovative research by our faculty and students, often in collaborative projects, not only is having realworld results, but also is setting the foundation for our graduates who will continue to impact the world for decades to come.

I am energized by this momentum and am eager to work with each member of the Ripon College community to achieve continued success for upcoming generations of students. It is a great honor that Ripon and the collective “we” get to be a part of a formative time in a student’s life.

I look forward to an ongoing dialogue and sharing of ideas with our Ripon community to augment and enhance Ripon College and the lives of our students. I invite all alumni and friends to continue to engage with the College in our strategic

• Local Commitment Award outreach was expanded to two additional counties in Wisconsin — Outagamie County and Brown County. The award offers financial assistance of up to $38,000 per year to students who graduated from high schools in neighboring counties.

• Ripon faculty approved a cross-registration pilot with Marian University of Fond du Lac, which allows qualified Ripon students to take up to two classes per semester at Marian and vice versa. This is a first step to facilitate academic collaborations between the two schools, which are about 25 miles apart. In the pilot program, seven Ripon students enrolled in classes at Marian and one Marian student enrolled in a class at Ripon for fall 2022.

• A new collaboration with the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Pharmacy School in Milwaukee allows students to earn dual degrees from Ripon College and MCW in only six years. Students in the 3+3 PharmD accelerated program earn a liberal arts degree from Ripon and a doctor of pharmacy degree from MCW. One student already has been accepted into the program.

• Momentum Leadership Fellows Program, launched in summer 2021, is a summer bridge for highly qualified incoming first-year students from historically underrepresented and first-generation populations. It is partially supported by a $275,000 three-year grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation. Twenty-six incoming first-years participated in the inaugural Momentum session with 20 continuing into the second year. Thirteen new students joined in 2022.

Revenue & Expenses

The majority of our expenses in FY’22 were devoted to student tuition support, costs to sustain academic instruction as well as general operations of the College.

The College provided $25,372,579 in financial assistance to 100 percent of its student body during the 2021-22 academic year.

Financial statements for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022, reflect a decrease in net assets of $3,772,223.

The market value of our investments as of June 30, 2022, was listed at $105,281,437. This reflects a decrease of $5,466,585 from the prior year. The average endowment investment returns for one, three and five years were 2.6%, 1.1% and 6.1%, respectively.

Record-breaking fund-raising year

planning journey as we embark on exciting and progressive times.

I’d also like to thank you for your continued generosity. The impact of your time and gifts cannot be overstated. Your commitment to Ripon College will help sustain our tradition of providing an accessible and relevant liberal arts education for generations to come.

VICTORIA N. FOLSE President

• Summer Opportunities for Advanced Research (SOAR) allows students in all disciplines to engage in collaborative research and creative activity with faculty. In the inaugural session in 2021, 36 students and 20 faculty members participated. Twelve academic disciplines were represented. In summer 2022, 22 students participated.

• Numerous students who worked with Student Support Services (SSS) during the academic year achieved academically and were accepted into summer programs and opportunities and graduate school programs.

• The strategic planning process will involve all internal and external campus constituents throughout the 20222023 academic year and will leverage existing committee structures. A working draft will be completed by April 2023 to inform Capital Campaign priorities.

Ripon College provides financial assistance in some form to 100 percent of its student body. Here, Kyle Koss ’25 of Poynette, Wisconsin, takes in a presentation during Catalyst Day.

Following the most successful fundraising year in Ripon College’s history in FY’21, loyal supporters from around the world came through once again with a second record-breaking year in FY’22.

More than $26 million was committed in FY’22, half of which was designated to the new science center and stadium projects.

The fifth annual #OneDayRally giving day, held April 27, 2022, garnered a spirited show of support to sustain the Ripon Fund, Red Hawks Club in athletics and Friends of the Arts; and ultimately to support current and future Ripon College students.

$1,414,881 was raised from a record total of 2,217 donors.

Revenue Expenses

Vice President and Dean of Faculty John Sisko leads a session during the inaugural session of the Momentum Leadership Fellows Program in summer 2021.