Hampden-Sydney College (H-SC) alumni, friends and parents of students were more than up to the $300K in 30 Days Challenge posed recently, donating $546,211 to the Hampden-Sydney Fund.

This helped set a new single-year record for unrestricted giving at the school, according to Dr. Herbert L. King Jr., H-SC’s vice president for institutional advancement. He noted the record total came to $2,536,699.

“The support shown for this extraordinary institution during June’s $300K in 30 Days campaign shows that many are committed to preserving and strengthening Hampden-Sydney’s ability to provide a transformative coming-of-age experience to young men,” Hampden-Sydney President Dr. Larry Stimpert said.

In a video introducing the campaign, he said, “A group of donors has offered a challenge for the 30 days of June and will match every gift to the Hampden-Sydney Fund up to $300,000 made between now and June 30th.”

He was accompanied in the video by recent graduate Tyler Langhorn, who helped facilitate donations during the challenge by releasing brief videos in June that highlighted different aspects of the college and the experience it provides.

In one video, Langhorn gave a tour of the new Brown Student Center. In another, he shared highlights from student life projects. In his final video, he

explained that he was excited about the giving campaign because of how much outside donations have meant to him in his time at H-SC.

“I believe that every donation creates an opportunity to make a memory,” he said in the video. “For me, these memories will be becoming president of the Minority Student Union, serving and having a hand in bringing Tiger Radio back to this campus and being president of the Union-Philanthropic Literary Society, which is the second-oldest debate society in the nation.”

Langhorn also noted Hampden-Sydney enabled him to go to Prague and to make a trip to Los Angeles, California with one of his best friends to record in a studio, pursuing their ultimate dream of becoming professional musicians.

“The generosity of our supporters helped the college set a new single-year record in unrestricted giving, which aids our areas of greatest need,” Stimpert said. “At the same time, total cash contributions to the college were $10.7 million this year, representing a 30 percent increase over last year’s total giving and making it our fifth-best fundraising year ever. This is a remarkable accomplishment given that we aren’t currently in an official campaign.”

King said in a letter to alumni that for fiscal year 2016-17, H-SC received $4,118,945 in cash gifts to the endowment, which was the second-best year ever.

“The endowment now exceeds $160 million, a new high-water mark for H-SC,” he said.

He also noted that the fiscal year included the adding of $4.2 million in new estate commitments from the Class of 1967 for its 50th reunion gift.

“Everyone here on The Hill owes our gratitude to the donors who made these incredible achievements possible for Hampden-Sydney,” King said. “Our faculty and staff work tirelessly to enrich the lives of young men, and we could not continue that tradition without this great support.”

Echoing these thoughts, Stimpert said, “The strength of the Hampden-Sydney brotherhood and the support of its alumni and extended community sustain this great college and our mission ‘to form good men and good citizens.’ The world needs as never before a college with the experience that we offer and men of character like those we produce.”