Introducing Boundless: The Campaign for Muhlenberg
The College has already raised more than $71.2 million en route to its $111 million goal to support priorities such as financial aid, endowed professorships and campus facilities.
Photos by Kristi Morris
On Saturday, November 13, Memorial Hall transformed from a gymnasium into a performance venue. A stage stood near half court, with blue uplit draping blocking the rear wall to create a backstage area, and rows of chairs filled the remaining floor. Alumni, parents and friends of the College gathered in cocktail attire to attend the launch of the public phase of Boundless: The Campaign for Muhlenberg.
The College Choir opened the evening, singing Phantom of the Opera’s “Masquerade” from its place in the bleachers. Then, a spotlight shined on one of the singers, Aevyn Barnett ’22, president of the choir, who greeted the audience.
“Welcome Muhlenberg family, to an evening like no other,” they said. “You’re probably wondering what is in store tonight. I must admit that sense of ‘what’s next’ was something I immediately felt when I first stepped foot on campus three years ago. Endless possibilities, opportunities, it all felt—”
“—boundless,” said Linda Cenci ’75 P’06, as the spotlight jumped to where she was standing on the floor. “That’s one way to describe it. Not being constrained or restricted to a single path, major, area or location. That’s something that should feel familiar to any Muhlenberg alumni here tonight. Look—not even the stage can contain us this evening.”
After Cenci spoke, College President Kathleen Harring introduced the campaign: “We are writing our next chapter of Muhlenberg’s legacy and exploring how we can ensure boundless opportunities, curiosity, spirit and participation across our campus for generations to come,” she said. “With the Boundless campaign, we will inspire the next generation of thinkers, of doers. We will help them achieve, learn to see different perspectives and connect the dots.”
“With the Boundless campaign, we will inspire the next generation of thinkers, of doers. We will help them achieve, learn to see different perspectives and connect the dots.”
— President Harring
Next, campaign co-chairs Tammy Bormann ’83 P’16 and Doug Peebles ’87 took the stage. They, along with Harring, served as emcees for the event. The event was built upon campaign volunteers (including Cenci as well as Jeff Koehler ’79 and Sam Stovall ’77, who would speak later) and other members of the Muhlenberg community sharing their own stories of boundlessness with their peers. This peer-to-peer strategy (detailed here) guided the campaign throughout its quiet phase, which began in 2018, and will continue now that it’s public.
“It’s often said that an institution helps to shape students, but I also believe that the students shape the institution,” Bormann said at the launch event. “Muhlenberg isn’t the same as when I attended, nor do I come back to campus expecting it to be a time capsule of the early 1980s—quite the opposite. I’m delighted to see so much change and progress, but we have more work that we need to do to ensure that Muhlenberg is creating impact across the globe. We have the opportunity—no, the mandate—to move beyond our boundaries and to create impact beyond ourselves.”
The rest of the program introduced the audience to the campaign priorities (see “What Boundless Will Fund”) via personal stories from 12 alumni, students and faculty. These individuals spoke about how Muhlenberg helped them achieve their goals and change their own expectations of what they could accomplish. For example, Beth Donaldson ’92 shared how College staff ensured she had the financial aid to complete her degree and to study abroad in Spain. Professor of Media & Communication Jeff Pooley praised the culture of teaching and scholarship at Muhlenberg, which has enabled him to mentor student researchers doing, in some cases, graduate-level work.
“We have more work that we need to do to ensure that Muhlenberg is creating impact across the globe. We have the opportunity—no, the mandate—to move beyond our boundaries and to create impact beyond ourselves.”
— Tammy Bormann ’83 P’16
Robin Chodak ’22 said a call from Senior Assistant Director of Admissions and Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment RaeVaughn Gardner-Williams came at just the right moment, when he was waffling on even attending college. He credited the Emerging Leaders Program for helping him connect with other first-generation students from underrepresented backgrounds and his mentor, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Diversity Initiatives Robin Riley-Casey, for encouraging him to open up to the experience around him.
“College is a time of change, and Muhlenberg has made me grow and change in ways I truly never thought possible,” Chodak concluded.
Some speakers appeared on stage while others were on the floor or in the bleachers. Student and alumni song and dance performances were interspersed between the anecdotes.
“This event was designed to truly represent the College and the multiple constituents who make Muhlenberg, Muhlenberg,” says Vice President for Advancement Rebekkah Brown ’99. “The speakers and performers throughout the evening touched on various academic, co-curricular and performance strengths of the College and anyone in the audience could find their connection to Muhlenberg through one of the stories or performances.”
Harring, Bormann and Peebles closed the evening by revealing how much the campaign had raised to date (more than $71.2 million). Then, Harring shared how much it would raise before its end in 2025. Behind her, campaign volunteers and staff, holding signs that spelled out BOUNDLESS, flipped them to reveal the goal of $111 million. Confetti boomed from a cannon and rained from the ceiling as the audience applauded. The celebration continued with a reception in John Dietrich Field House.
“The Boundless campaign is all about the people of Muhlenberg and the incredible community they power. Our success is about connection—the ways in which our alumni remain connected to the College and the ways in which students learn to connect knowledge across perspectives and disciplines,” Harring says. “And that’s why the campaign is resonating with alumni. They know firsthand the power of connection and understand that when they came to Muhlenberg, they weren’t just going to college, they were joining a community that would support and challenge them. They see that in Muhlenberg today and want to ensure that experience for the next generation of students.”
