Capital Campaign

Our Promise for the Future
A Campaign for Manlius Pebble Hill School

It is hard to imagine the Manlius Pebble Hill campus only 14 years ago. A new Headmaster, two major capital campaigns, over 40,000 square feet in additional space, and $3.4 million in gifts later, the School has evolved from a barely functioning set of small older buildings into a unified campus with expansive spaces for technology, athletics, performing arts, and academics.

While Manlius Pebble Hill can be proud of all that has been accomplished in recent years, the School is still challenged by an aging physical plant inadequate to meet the needs of a student body of more than 590 students. In a recent analysis, similarly sized independent schools across the country were found to have an average of 262 square feet per student, compared to only 150 square feet per student at MPH.

In addition, the School’s endowment, far smaller than that of comparable independent schools, is too small to provide future financial stability or to generate the income for financial aid and scholarships that our commitment to diversity demands.

Mindful of these issues, the Board of Trustees, with critical input from faculty and staff, initiated a long-range planning process that culminated in the development of a new mission statement, the complete revision of the master site plan, and the initiation of a $6 million dollar capital campaign – the most ambitious campaign in the School’s history. This long-range planning process identified four campaign priorities:

Each of these campaign objectives will have a direct, demonstrable impact on Manlius Pebble Hill’s enduring mission.

Now in the “public phase” of the campaign, the Board of Trustees, the Campaign Core Committee, the Alumni Association Board, and the Advance Gifts Committee are working diligently to solicit leadership gifts for the campaign. In the meantime, the new Laurie Mezzalingua Center for Early Learning was built over the summer of 2006 and opened in September (click here to see photos of the building and the opening celebrations). This facility and the new campus entrance which was developed as part of the project have already made a significant impact at the School.

We have now raised $2.4 million in pledges against our campaign goal of $6 million, with 100% of our Board of Trustees and Alumni Association Board committed to the campaign. Perhaps most importantly, 100% of faculty and administration have also pledged their support to this important effort. The list of families who have already made commitments to the campaign is long and varied. Over the next few years, the School administration and campaign volunteers look forward to the opportunity to sit down with as many parents, alumni, and grandparents as possible to share our story and ask for support. There are many ways to give to this effort and we hope that our community will embrace the opportunity before us. As the campaign progresses, we will update this portion of our website with additional information about our fund raising effort and construction plans. In the meantime, if you have specific questions about this exciting project, please don’t hesitate to contact Tina Morgan, Director of Development, at 315/446-2452, ext. 124.