PROGRESS: Briar Cliff sees new president, new fundraising campaign, new scholarship programs

Within months of Draud starting as the school's 13th president, Briar Cliff announced a new fundraising campaign, "The Foundations for the Future," with the aim of raising at least $10 million for student affordability and improving campus facilities. 

"At the heart of our campaign is a steadfast dedication to allow students an opportunity to pursue a quality education that will impact the rest of their lives," Draud told the Journal in October. "We believe that a high-quality, values-based education should be accessible to all who seek it."

Draud, who was inaugurated on March 12, said that Briar Cliff believed that expanding scholarship opportunities and endowments would help increase affordability and open doors of opportunity for students of all economic backgrounds. In that chat with The Journal, Draud said the out-of-pocket costs for a number of Briar Cliff families was less than $3,000 a year.

The two new scholarship programs Briar Cliff announced in January, "The Iowa Commitment" and the "Catholic Connection Scholarship." The Iowa Commitment scholarship provides free tuition for full-Pell Grant eligible students from Iowa. The Catholic Connection Scholarship provides a 60 percent tuition discount for students who are Catholics.

With respect to improving facilities, Briar Cliff took a step toward the goal in November when it announced the reopening of two "agile classrooms" which were partly funded by a grant from the Missouri River Historical Development (MRHD).

Located in Heelan Hall, the classrooms include pieces of modular furniture (which can be easily rearranged) and tech to "allow for seamless transitions between small and large group collaborations, lectures, and presentation," according to the university. "Our redesigned classrooms represent Briar Cliff's commitment to educational excellence," Briar Cliff Education Department Chair Theresa Engle said then. The MRHD grant for the project amounted to $28,501 which was coupled with a matching gift from the estate of Briar Cliff alum Genevieve Nachtman.

Along with the new and improved classrooms, Briar Cliff has a new and improved mathematics major to boast about.

Also in January, the school said its Bachelor of Science in Mathematics degree will be open to prospective students beginning this fall. The degree requires 47 credit hours and includes a pre-engineering track.

"This revitalized program is designed to meet the needs of students with a deep passion for mathematics, as well as those seeking to enhance their academic journey by incorporating complementary fields of study," Draud.