Capital Gifts

At Wesleyan College, we are proud of our history as the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women. Though we look back fondly on what we've achieved, we also look forward – to changing the way women are educated in the next century. Wesleyan must look ahead, understand the needs of today’s women, and continue to create a distinctive, demanding, and relevant educational experience for its students.

Facility improvements, of course, are essential for enriching our academic programs, expanding our co-curricular programs, and inspiring a new generation of young women to become leaders in their churches, professions, and communities. Wesleyan College is constructing, renovating, and creating spaces throughout the campus to ensure that our students have the best environment in which to worship, learn, and live.

TAYLOR HALL RENOVATION
In the summer of 2007, the departments of Biology and Chemistry were transformed with the opening of the Munroe Science Center and its laboratory-based teaching environment. Our former science facility, Taylor Hall, then required extensive renovation, primarily to repurpose old science laboratories and classrooms into an expansive academic space for Wesleyan’s growing Psychology, Business, and Education Departments. In addition to renovating interior academic spaces, we updated the heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems of the building and replaced most of the wiring in the facility. We accomplished the renovation of Taylor Hall by achieving Gold certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) by the United States Green Building Council. Wesleyan accomplished Phase I of the Taylor Hall renovation in the summer of 2008, including waterproofing and foundation improvements, significant exterior renovations, and the installation of major portions of the new HVAC system. Phase II of this project required an additional $3,000,000. In January of 2011, the renovation project was completed and the building was re-opened. More about supporting the Taylor Hall project: Taylor Hall

PIERCE CHAPEL
After many years of discussion, the College has set as a priority the design and construction of Pierce Chapel, named for Wesleyan’s first president, Bishop George Foster Pierce, and honoring the many members of his family who have continued to lead and serve the College. While the first Pierce Chapel was an integral part of campus life at the original conservatory on College Street, our chapel services have rotated among several locations at the Rivoli Campus for more than 75 years, including the Benson Room of the Candler Alumnae Building currently. Alumnae, students, faculty, and friends alike have championed for a signature facility to house the College’s chapel services, Chaplain, and rapidly growing faith-based programs. The new Pierce Chapel will be designed with a capacity of about 300, giving us the ability to use the space on occasion as a music performance venue for organ, piano, and choral concerts and recitals that call for a more intimate setting than the much larger auditorium in the Porter Family Memorial Fine Arts Building. More about supporting the Pierce Chapel project: Pierce Chapel

OTHER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
A number of exciting capital improvement projects are either underway or planned on the Wesleyan College campus. These projects provide valuable and meaningful opportunities for philanthropic partners to help strengthen the College's role in the region. From energy efficiency improvements that will help the College lower annual operating costs to residence hall upgrades and athletic facilities enhancements that will help the College attract and retain students, these campus-wide capital improvement projects are outstanding investments in the future of women's education. More about supporting Campus-wide Capital Improvement Projects: Other Projects