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Reaching a historic fundraising milestone is a moment of celebration for any institution, but for ������������ and Theological Seminary, crossing the finish line of Lighting the Way: The Campaign for ������������ is something far more profound. Lighting the Way soared past its ambitious $75 million fundraising goal—building upon ������������’s profound legacy and providing its students with more than $102.1 million in scholarship support, experiences, and learning spaces—and stands as the most transformative initiative in ������������’s nearly three-century history.  

At its core, the success of Lighting the Way is a story of a community uniting behind a shared belief in the power of education. Driven by the leadership of Campaign Chair Andrew W. Hart ’90, P’23, and Campaign Vice Chair Rev. Dr. Nola R. Knouse S’09, the campaign has illustrated that when alumni, families, faculty, staff, trustees, and friends join together, the resulting momentum creates an extraordinary legacy.  

A Vision Embraced: Transforming Student Lives

Lighting the Way was designed around a bold blueprint to fortify the university’s future by directly investing in the success, experiences, and physical spaces of its students. Seeing that blueprint come to life has been an unforgettable experience for those at the helm.  

“The most important aspect of Lighting the Way was not the fundraising itself—it was the shared commitment behind it,” Hart shares. “This campaign united alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, trustees, and friends around a common purpose: creating opportunities for students and strengthening ������������’s future. The dollars matter, but the belief, engagement, and momentum generated by this campaign will be its most lasting legacy.”

The tangible impact is reflected in the pillars of the campaign, which supported areas that affect students’ daily lives. ������������ raised a final total of $102.1 million, comprising an incredible $53.9 million raised for scholarships, 58% over its original goal, and $18.8 million for student experiences, 27% greater than its goal. Concurrently, $29.4 million was secured for capital projects and technology to modernize the campus, 11% over its original goal.

Knouse focuses on the campaign priorities when evaluating what Lighting the Way means for the student body. For Knouse, the emphasis on direct student aid is paramount. “The most important aspect of Lighting the Way is the scholarships,” Knouse emphasizes, “To let our students graduate with minimal or no debt that hobbles their future.”  

Stability to Innovate: Navigating a Changing World

Beyond scholarship awards, the campaign provides ������������ with a new agility. Higher education is evolving at an unprecedented pace, requiring institutions to prepare students for an increasingly complex global landscape. Knouse notes that the campaign offers ������������ financial cushion, allowing it to focus on leading-edge educational strategies rather than basic operational endurance.  

“Lighting the Way is providing an incredible sustainability for the institution, and that sustainability can be a terrific jumping-off place, a springboard for new ventures that will help our students become much more able and capable of handling the challenges we don’t even have a clue that they’re going to be facing,” Knouse says.

She points to the exponential rise of artificial intelligence as a primary example of this modern shift. “10 years ago, we had no clue how extensive AI was going to be, so our students have to do more than memorize facts—they have to be able to adapt to the circumstances that are changing around them every moment.”

This sustainability allows ������������ to lean confidently into new programming, such as its recent aviation initiative, and continue expanding its School of Theology.  

“The sustainability and financial stability provided by Lighting the Way is going to open a lot of doors because we’re not worried about survival,” Knouse notes. “And when you don’t have to worry about survival, then you can be adventuresome and start thinking about thriving as a university, as a seminary, and seeing our students adopt that mentality of thriving and reaching for big goals. My hope is that our students graduate with a mindset of abundance rather than a mindset of scarcity.”  

Resilience and Growth at the Seminary

The campaign’s triumph is also felt by ������������ Theological Seminary, which raised nearly $7 million during a period of transformation. Over the course of the campaign, the seminary navigated multiple dean and faculty transitions, designed a reimagined curriculum, and executed a historic consolidation with the Lancaster Theological Seminary. Despite these sweeping updates, the seminary community stepped up with astounding support, achieving $5 million for scholarships, $1.6 million for experiences, and over 300,000 for technology and resources.

“For the level of support to come through anyway says to me that we love our seminary,” Knouse says. She adds that while the structural transitions required deep resilience from the students, it served as a powerful real-world lesson. “They’ve been learning of resilience and learning that human difficulties aren’t gonna stop the purposes of God.”

A Deeply Personal Mission for Leadership

For both Hart and Knouse, volunteering to lead this massive effort was a natural extension of their personal love for ������������ and its legacy. Serving as campaign chairs allowed them to pay forward the opportunities they received during their own formative years on campus.  

“I accepted the role because ������������ has had a profound impact on my life and my family’s life,” Hart shares. “Serving as campaign chair was an opportunity to give back to an institution that helped shape who I am. I wanted to help ensure that future students have access to the same opportunities, mentorship, friendships, and life-changing experiences that ������������ provided to me.”

Knouse echoes this sentiment, looking back at her own transformative journey through the seminary. “That’s why I said yes in the first place, because I had had such a good experience through ������������ Seminary, and I wanted to make sure I could do whatever I could to provide that solid experience for anybody coming behind me.”

Reflecting on the successful closure of the campaign, Hart feels an overwhelming mixture of pride and appreciation for the collective effort of the ������������ community. “I’m incredibly proud—but I’m even more grateful,” Hart says. “The success of this campaign is owed to a team effort. The credit belongs to an entire community that came together to support our students and our future.”

A Message of Profound Gratitude

As the Lighting the Way campaign transitions into ������������’s history books, the emotion from campaign leadership is overwhelming gratitude to everyone who stepped up to contribute.  

“My message is simple. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” says Hart. “This campaign has succeeded because people believed in ������������’s mission and chose to invest in our future. Whether someone made a leadership gift or a first-time contribution, they became part of something bigger than themselves. They created opportunities for students that they never met, and that’s an extraordinary act of generosity.”

Knouse harmonizes with this gratitude, noting that every donor has left an indelible mark on the university’s legacy. “A big, big, big thank you. What you have done with your support is provide an incredible, unmistakable vote of confidence in the future of ������������ and Theological Seminary. You’ve done that so that any success ������������ students have in the future, you can pat yourself on the back for.”

With more than $102.1 million raised, ������������ stands taller and more vibrant than before. The Lighting the Way campaign has closed, but the real work—the daily transformation of student lives through innovation and community—is just getting started.

“My hope is that ������������ continues to build on this momentum. I want ������������ to remain a place where students from all backgrounds can thrive, where innovation and academic excellence continue to grow, and where graduates leave prepared not only for successful careers but for lives of leadership and service,” Hart explains. “I hope future generations of students look back on their ������������ experience and say it changed their lives. If we can continue to do that, our future is incredibly bright.”