DePauw University receives record-breaking $200M in donations

GREENCASTLE, Ind. (AP) — DePauw University has received $200 million in donations, representing the largest gift in the western Indiana school’s history, university officials announced Wednesday.

The private 1,800-student liberal arts college said it received a $150 million gift from an anonymous donor and $50 million in supporting matches from other donors. President Lori S. White said the funds will help DePauw move toward its goal of becoming “a new model for a liberal arts college for the 21st century.”

“Thanks to support at this scale, we can focus on ensuring that our core academic programs and offerings are extraordinary in every way,” White said in a news release.

The donations will bolster campus-wide initiatives and the school’s strategic plan, announced in 2022, that includes strengthening DePauw’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, its new School of Business and Leadership and its Creative School, which will launch this fall, officials said.

The school’s largest previous gift was $128 million it received in 1999 to support teaching and learning.

DePauw’s campus is located in Greencastle, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Indianapolis.