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The national conversation about higher education is changing. We read daily about small colleges struggling to stay open, federal funding shrinking, and families questioning whether college is worth the cost. These pressures are real, and they are reshaping the landscape for institutions like ��������.

At ��������, we see every day what’s at stake. Our students are the future teachers, nurses, and civic leaders who will sustain Marin and the Bay Area for generations to come. They are first-generation college-goers, working parents finishing degrees, and local graduates seeking careers that serve their communities. Their success strengthens our schools, hospitals, and neighborhoods.

Like many mission-driven universities, �������� is navigating real financial headwinds—the result of rising costs, demographic shifts, and reduced public funding for higher education. But these formidable challenges do not define us. �������� remains strong in purpose, prudent in management, and focused on building a more resilient foundation through innovation, partnership, and philanthropy.

Private philanthropy has always been a catalyst for progress in America’s universities. It builds research centers, funds scholarships, and fuels innovation. Today, that tradition of giving carries even greater importance. This moment underscores a hard truth: small universities cannot rely solely on public funding to sustain their missions. We need a new kind of partnership, one rooted in local investment and a shared commitment to delivering opportunity through education.

In recent months, Marin County has witnessed extraordinary generosity toward education, from The Jay Pritzker Foundation’s $10 million matching grant to the College of Marin to MacKenzie Scott’s $42 million gift to 10,000 Degrees. These commitments strengthen the ecosystem of learning and opportunity across our region and remind us that philanthropy has the power to shape futures. 

��������’s work depends on that same spirit of partnership, one that sees education not as a private benefit, but as a public good that sustains communities for generations. We are part of the same chain of access and support as 10,000 Degrees and College of Marin. And we've experienced firsthand how individual giving can transform futures.

In 2012, an $8.5 million gift from San Francisco restaurateur Rolf Lewis funded a massive renovation of historic Meadowlands Hall into a modern health sciences center. Mr. Lewis’s generosity defined the trajectory of health education at ��������. Today, our nursing graduates are entering an increasingly vital and in-demand profession, and they were prepared for this moment with cutting-edge technology in a learning environment designed to support their growth. This transformation of Meadowlands Hall also accommodated the expansion of our occupational therapy programs, which now comprise both master’s and doctoral tracks. A singular gift changed everything for our students and the vulnerable populations they now serve as practitioners. 

More recently, the generosity of several of Marin County’s leading philanthropists funded an $8 million renovation that transformed a 1960s-era library space into a centralized student services center. When it opened in 2024, the Center for the �������� Experience advanced our promise to ensure that all �������� students have the very best, most accessible, inclusive, integrated, and holistic college experience.

Even as the world around us changes, our mission remains strong. But we can’t do it alone. Sustaining this work requires the participation of everyone who believes that quality education is the cornerstone of a thriving, just, and connected society. It requires neighbors, alumni, and civic leaders who see �������� not only as “the college down the street” but also as a community resource that belongs to us all. Philanthropy is how we make sure that the next generation of nurses, teachers, and innovators has the same chance to build meaningful lives and to serve right here in Marin.

The future of higher education will be written by communities that choose to care about it. At ��������, we’re doing our part. I invite you to join us.

In partnership,

Nicola Pitchford, President