Wesleyan. On Purpose.
A Strong Future for DWU
Campaign Goal: $40,000,000
Why this Campaign Matters
Previous investments from generous alumni, friends and supporters have been transformational, helping position Dakota Wesleyan University for its current strength and momentum. As we look ahead, we must be both diligent and strategic.
The Wesleyan. On Purpose. campaign focuses on the areas that matter most for the future of DWU:
- Scholarships that make a difference — increasing annual and endowed scholarships to provide greater access and affordability for students.
- Endowments that strengthen our future — investing in faculty, staff and institutional priorities that ensure long-term excellence.
- Enhancing the learning environment — supporting strategic program funding, campus improvements, and student-centered spaces that enrich learning and community life.
Our Campaign Priorities
Annual Giving
Goal: $5 Million
Annual giving provides immediate and essential support for the people and programs that make Dakota Wesleyan distinctive. These gifts have a direct impact every year, helping the university meet current needs while strengthening the student experience.
Key areas of annual giving include:
Wesleyan Fund
TeamMakers
Friends of The Performing Arts
Friends of the Performing Arts advances music, theatre and other creative opportunities that enrich campus culture.
Annual support is foundational to the success of DWU. By giving each year, you can help sustain academic excellence, strengthen student life, and ensure that the university remains responsive to the needs of today’s students.
Endowment Scholarships and Funds
Goal: $30 Million
Endowment support is one of the most meaningful ways to invest in Dakota Wesleyan’s future. Endowed gifts create lasting impact, generating support in perpetuity for students, programs, faculty and institutional priorities.
Campaign priorities in this area include:
Access and Affordability
Access and affordability can be met by increasing scholarships so more students can attend DWU and pursue their academic and professional aspirations.
Closing the Gap
Closing the gap to address unmet scholarship needs will help DWU remain competitive and accessible.
Alumni Family Scholarships
Alumni Family Scholarships support students who continue a family legacy at Dakota Wesleyan.
Diversity and Opportunity
A focus on diversity and opportunity help create a campus community that is welcoming, vibrant and globally minded.
Faculty and Staff Endowments
Faculty and Staff Endowments strengthen the people who provide the kind of meaningful education that prepares students for lives of purpose.
This area of the campaign reflects a deep commitment to student opportunity and long-term institutional strength.
Learning Environment and Program Expansion
Goal: $5 Million
A distinctive student experience requires a campus environment that supports learning, belonging, growth and innovation. This campaign priority focuses on strategic investments that strengthen academic programs, campus facilities and student life.
Technology
DWU embraces technology to connect people and to prepare students to manage it effectively in their professional lives. As part of this commitment, the university helps students navigate the emerging world of artificial intelligence, learning to use it ethically and productively. Through Digital DWU, every student receives an iPad, and the university continues to invest in tools such as retention software, specialty equipment, and innovative curriculum platforms.
Learning Environment
Dakota Wesleyan is committed to creating spaces that reflect the needs of today’s students.
Key priorities include:
- Residential Learning — supporting the renovation of Dayton Hall to create an enhanced living and learning environment tailored to the modern student.
- Campus Maintenance — preserving infrastructure to provide a safe, welcoming and conducive learning environment.
- Student Co-curricular Experience — enhancing the performing arts space, locating athletic facilities on campus, and expanding campus ministry programming to enrich student life and foster a vibrant campus community.
Program Expansion
Strategic investments in academic program growth will allow DWU to respond to student interest, workforce needs, and new opportunities for innovation and service.
Interested in learning more? Contact us.
Institutional Advancement/Alumni Relations
1200 W. University Ave.
Mitchell, SD 57301
Email: alumni@dwu.edu
Phone: 605-995-2603
Measuring Success
Success in this campaign is about more than reaching a fundraising number. It is about the outcomes made possible through these investments.
We will know this campaign is successful when more students have access to a Dakota Wesleyan education, when the university’s financial strength is reinforced for generations to come, and when students learn and live in an environment designed to help them flourish.
A Community of Purpose
Dakota Wesleyan University has long been a place where students are encouraged to pursue their dreams while growing as leaders, learners and people of faith. The Wesleyan. On Purpose. campaign builds on that legacy and invites alumni, parents, friends, churches, foundations and partners to join in shaping the future of the university.
Join Us.
