Miles College Comprehensive Fundraising Campaign & Community Development Fund
Overall Campaign Goal is $125 Million
Phase 1: $100 Million (Silent phase completed)
Phase 2: $25 Million (Public phase announcement September 12th)
$10M - Scholarships: Academic, Athletic, & Auxiliary
$5M - Academic Program Enhancements
$4M - Renovations - North Campus Pre-Development\
$3M - Endowment
$3M - Community Development
2023-2028 Strategic Goals
Strategic Goal #1
Offer a broad range of high-quality programs.
Strategic Goal #2
Recruit and retain appropriately qualified and highly effective faculty and staff.
Strategic Goal #3
Build programs to enhance student life.
Strategic Goal #4
Provide a sound financial base to support the institution.
Strategic Goal #5
Attract a more diverse community.
Strategic Goal #6
Transform campus with new and improved infrastructure, facilities, and technology, which includes instruction and learning.
Strategic Goal #7
Respond to the most urgent needs of local, state, national, and international constituents to foster collaboration and mutually beneficial relationships.
Scholarships and Tuition Assistance – $10 Million
Scholarships are always the number one fundraising priority for Miles College. With 95% of our students receiving some form of financial support, scholarships make a direct impact on student lives—now and in the future. Financial support from Miles College can mean the difference between attending college and a future struggling to make ends meet. Scholarships attract honors students and presidential scholars. Tuition support helps students persist year-over-year, providing “gap funding”—small amounts of funds that are the difference between continuing in college or dropping out.
A million-dollar impact – per student!
Consider this: A Miles College graduate working full time throughout his or her working life can expect to earn $1.1 million in additional income due to a college credential. That’s 77% more than could be expected without a college degree.
Academic Program Enhancements – $5 Million
Miles College continues its 125-year tradition as an institution that prepares students for leadership in all spheres of life: business, government, religion, the arts, family, global engagement, and more. Campaign investments will support immediate, real-time change in faculty recruitment and retention within targeted and competitive disciplines such as Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, and History.
Funding will support new certificate programs that align with state and federal workforce plans in high-demand careers such as Cybersecurity, Sports Marketing, Sports Management, and Information Technology. These certificate programs will serve as the foundation for new degree-granting programs in future years.
Campus Renovations and North Property Pre-Development – $4 Million
Renovation of Williams Hall – future home of:
New Judge U.W. Clemon Center for Economic and Social Justice
Women’s Entrepreneurship Center
Miles Law School
New museum showcasing Miles College and City of Fairfield history
Completion of Alumni Plaza
Birmingham City Center Satellite Campus
Planning for Miles College North Property
Community Development – $3 Million
Miles College has been a cornerstone in the development of Fairfield and the region. As the city’s largest employer, Miles College is committed to and interconnected with the community. As we grow our facilities, we seek to catalyze investment and revitalization for the city. In partnership with private and public developers and investors, we seek to secure funds for projects such as:
- Façade and roofing improvements for residents in neighborhoods adjacent to the college
- Improved street lighting and paving
- Commercial property improvements to retain current businesses and attract new ones
- Mixed-use development that increases new rental housing and provides amenities for students, staff, faculty, and residents; and new homes for Fairfield public housing residents
Endowment – $3 Million
Endowment is at the heart of sustainability for institutions of higher education. These gifts provide funding for Miles College in perpetuity. Endowment policies restrict the use of endowed funds to a fixed percentage based on interest earned in prior years. The corpus of the endowment is never touched, ensuring funding for generations to come. With a modest endowment of $27 million, the college is focusing on growing endowed funds for scholarships and faculty chairs.
Phase I: $100 Million Impact
COVID-19 Response
Testing, vaccines, masks, protective plexiglass, surface disinfecting, and reconfiguring meals in the cafeteria to take-out service
Scholarships and Tuition Assistance
Honors scholarships, general scholarships, and student emergency assistance
Information Technology Infrastructure
Enhancing of IT infrastructure for remote access, broadband enhancement, software and hardware including mobile devices, iPads, laptops, hotspots, computer repairs, emergency towers, and development of online/distance learning
Facilities Upgrades
Renovation of Learning Resource Center, reconfiguring of classrooms and offices for social distancing, establishment of a health services center, facilities maintenance, and initial renovation of historic Williams Hall
Student Programming
Investment club, actuarial science club, Homecoming & Labor Day Classic, student government, leadership development, eGaming, and student filmmaking
Academic Program Investments
New investments in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and Social Work, creation of an Academic Success Center, and new outreach and student support services
Special initiatives
Center for Social and Economic Justice, Women’s Entrepreneurial Center, Black Male Teacher Initiative, Black Church Equity Summit, film festival and film program feasibility study
Faculty + Staff Support
Professional development, including UNCF Teaching and Learning Program participation, support for terminal degree completion, and support for conference and seminar attendance
Health & Safety
Health services center, physical and mental health care, 24-hour access to TIMELY-MD, smoking cessation programs, and tobacco-free campus initiative
