Letter from the President

Trinity College changes lives in ways unimaginable unless you have experienced them firsthand, perhaps as a student, parent, teacher, or member of our Hartford community. This hallowed place has existed since 1823 to educate leaders, develop lifelong habits of mind, shape character, and inspire self-confidence, resiliency, and the ability to adapt. Spending time with students each and every day, and as intensely as I did on our recent annual Quest Leadership Program on the Appalachian Trail, I am reminded anew that Trinity College is sending out into the world people who will change it for the better. That is a legacy we continue to hold dear, and that we will always protect and enhance. Never has the need been greater for the kind of person, the kind of leader, that Trinity helps to shape.

Trinity, like all institutions of higher learning, exists in a world in which oil prices fluctuate, facilities need maintenance, research and learning resources must be purchased, and the need for financial aid continues to rise, to name just a few items from our annual operating budget. Tuition covers much of the cost of a Trinity education—about 71 percent—but not all. Endowment and generous annual and capital gifts account for the rest. Trinity is very fortunate to have an extended community that is committed to ongoing support of its liberal arts mission. As one of the more than 12,500 alumni, parents, or other friends who made a gift to the College in the 2009 fiscal year, please accept my sincerest thanks.

Three years ago, under the leadership of the Trustees, we launched the Cornerstone Campaign for Trinity College. This six-year effort—by far the largest fundraising campaign in the history of our College—will support scholarships, faculty, academic programs, and critical campus improvements. As we move ahead with the Cornerstone Campaign, you will hear much about how your contributions to this effort make it possible for our students and faculty to reach ever-higher levels of success.

I am honored to recognize the names of those individuals who supported the College in the past fiscal year. Whether to the Trinity College Fund or to a capital initiative, all gifts make a difference. On behalf of the College and its students, faculty, staff, and Trustees, I humbly thank you for your support.

James F. Jones, Jr.
President and Trinity College
Professor in the Humanities