How a small Kansas college shared a bold vision, made a plan and ended up securing a $1B gift.
Friday, August 9 · 7:30 – 9am
Kauffman Foundation Conference Center
4801 Rockhill Road Kansas City, MO 64110
Seven years ago, Michael Schneider shared a bold vision with his board of trustees—build a plan for a $1B endowment—and today that vision is being realized. Trustees went along with the plan and announced their Community by Design strategic plan to the world. The plan was met with skepticism, but in under a decade Michael and staff made visits and confirmed non-binding estate commitments totaling over $250M. Then on Valentine’s Day 2022 after a meeting with a long-time donor, there was a historic match in hand, a $1B commitment and an 18 month race to July 2023 where McPherson College would announce raising over $1.5B in endowment gifts and commitments.
Agenda
7:30 AM – Breakfast and Networking
7:55 AM – Announcements and Introductions
8:05 AM – Program Begins
Our Presenter: Michael Schneider, President, McPherson College
Michael Schneider started his first enterprise at age 7 – a museum in his bedroom. The museum ultimately closed its doors to the public. But years later one of the collections on display – namely, (36) 1984 Topps Mark McGwire Olympic rookie cards – helped fund Michael’s education at McPherson College in Kansas, where he graduated with honors in 1996.
Michael got his early career break when the partners at Summit Publishing invited him to run the company. He was only halfway through his 20s when he found himself leading a company into the electronic commerce era. His list of life adventures has included earning an MBA from the University of Denver, doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and supporting start-ups in everything from information technology to ethanol production and renewable energy.
When Michael answered the call to return to his alma mater and became president in 2009, he was the youngest college president in the United States. His passionate vision to lift up liberal arts through an entrepreneurial mindset has sparked the imagination of the entire campus. McPherson is reinventing itself as a significant contributor in higher education. McPherson College garnered recent notoriety for having a student-restored 1953 Mercedes Benz 300S win 2nd in the Post War Luxury Class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance, the most prestigious car show in the world, and for securing a $1 billion endowment commitment , which is one of the largest philanthropic commitments in the history of higher education.
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