Forbes magazine continues its recognition of Thiel College and its alumni for their giving

Posted January 03, 2020 Print

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Thiel College continues its recent run of recognition from the leading financial news magazine Forbes, marking the second straight year it was among the 200 colleges and universities with the most generous alumni.

The selection places it among many of the nation’s elite institutions and Ivy League schools. Since 2013, Forbes has been publishing an alternative measure of colleges’ return-on-investment with its proprietary Grateful Graduates Index that looks at the seven-year median gifts per full-time enrolled student and the average percentage of alumni who give back, regardless of the amount in which they give. The second measure helps smaller liberal arts colleges and rewards the ratio of donors over the amounts of donations. The list only looks at private-not-for-profit institutions with more than 500 students. This is the third time in four years Thiel College has made the listing.

Read the full list.

In the article, “Grateful Grads 2019: Follow Alumni Love And Money Into The Best Colleges,” Forbes uses several factors to rank the schools, including private donation rates, gifts per student and alumni participation rates. Inclusion on the list signifies that a college has a history of producing graduates who consistently donate to their alma mater.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by Forbes magazine. This selection confirms what we have known for a long time; Thiel College is a special place. Its culture of philanthropy started with our origin story and was in place when our alumni were students. It shaped their experience and continues to influence our current students, visitors and friends of the College,” Vice President for College Advancement Roberta Leonard said. “Future generations will find Thiel College as a place of opportunity where students feel connected to a thriving community and develop into civic, spiritual and professional leaders.”

Thiel College maintains a network of more than 15,000 active alumni and friends of the College. Last February, the College’s one-day fundraising drive had a record-setting 456 donors who gave more than $186,000. It was the fourth straight year the one-day, online-only giving campaign topped 300 donors and has raised more than $750,000 over the past five years.

Forbes reports that the 7-year median donation per Thiel College graduate is $4,455.