The Gift of Giving
As 2011 comes to an end many will think about charitable giving. During this time of year as we give gifts to our family and friends, we are often reminded of others who rely on our generous support to provide services to those in need (and of course the tax deduction is helpful). Please consider a year-end gift to Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
It is through your gifts that Austin Seminary is able to fulfill its mission to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the services of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God’s people.
Our Annual Fund is the “living stream” of income that sustains our community and mission. With a healthy Annual Fund, we will be able to move more nimbly in response to new challenges and opportunities.
The daily operations of the Seminary are what make possible the experience and opportunities available to our students. The Annual Fund supports the immediate and ongoing needs of the Seminary. A robust Annual Fund ensures the sustainability of our institution year after year and the fulfillment of our mission to educate the brightest, most imaginative leaders for ministry.
Your support demonstrates the importance of your faith and support of future leaders.
Why give to Austin Seminary?
Tuition - Keeping costs low for students.
At Austin Seminary, student financial aid remains the number one priority in our budget. The average cost of providing an education for a Master of Divinity student for one year is $30,000. Yet our annual tuition for that same student is only $11,400. To keep tuition affordable and balance the budget, we rely on your faithful gifts that allow talented, caring people to heed the call to serve, regardless of their financial situation. Austin Seminary tuition remains reasonable because it is supplemented by gifts to the Annual Fund and from the proceeds of endowments set up by generous individuals, churches, and foundations.
Faculty - Attracting the best and brightest minds.
The outstanding faculty of Austin Seminary thrives on the intellectual challenges and spiritual growth inherent in the Seminary's work. Close working relationships between students and faculty engender a mutual respect that often develops into collegial networks and lifelong friendships. Eighteen resident faculty serve the Seminary. Your gifts provide compensation to attract and retain these caring and knowledgeable professors, and resources to help them teach.
Support the Annual Fund.
The support of alumni, friends, and churches to the Annual Fund enables Austin Seminary to provide our students with a highly rigorous theological education. Your gift supports programs critical to academic enrichment training for ministry, and provides assistance to keep students from accumulating large debts as they enter into ministry.
Gifts to the Annual Fund help provide:
- Scholarships and financial aid (over 84% of our students qualify for some form of financial aid)
- Student services, including housing
- Resources for the David and Jane Stitt Library
- Professional development and continuing education opportunities for pastors and lay leaders
- New classroom technology
- Faculty support
Support Endowments.
An endowment is a permanent fund which earns interest through the Seminary's investment accounts. The annual income is placed in a spending account for use as specified by the donor.
When establishing an endowment, the Seminary works with the donor to prepare an agreement that governs the endowment. The donor and the appropriate Seminary officials sign the document, providing assurance to the donor that the Seminary will always honor the guidelines established. Austin Seminary has adopted a spending rule that allows it to spend approximately 5% from each endowment annually.