Over the years, Academy faculty have combined inspirational teaching with deep caring for students as individuals. Gifts that support faculty, such as endowed chairs, honor these caregivers, providing financial resources for the school’s most important assets. With one of the longest-tenured faculties among independent schools in the nation, the Academy benefits immensely from their wisdom and institutional memory.

At the same time, the Academy needs to focus on the transition of many faculty members to retirement and the recruitment of equally talented replacements. More than any other factor, these new teachers will influence the quality of education at the Academy for the next half century.

The goal of this initiative is to create two endowed chairs, both to honor those who have made the Academy what it is today and to prepare for the faculty transitions ahead. In addition to funding a teacher’s salary, each endowed position will also support professional development opportunities, allowing the recipients to conduct research, attend conferences, travel, or pursue other enrichment activities.

This initiative addresses the importance of remaining competitive in an increasingly complex hiring market, recruiting nationally, and retaining the best faculty—those individuals who are committed to education and eager to grow in their chosen fields.

Accessibility and Outreach
Goal: $1,200,000

The Academy’s public purpose is multifold, beginning with a long-standing commitment to serving students of talent and character from throughout the community. This is fitting, as the ability to do so comes from a gift of land encompassing a large portion of the community. Academy resources are devoted to ensuring economic accessibility for students, and provide over $3 million in financial aid annually. This need-based support, in addition to the endowment support provided to all students, ensures that admitted students can attend Albuquerque Academy regardless of their financial circumstances.

Albuquerque Academy’s financial aid policy makes the school unique among peer schools nationally and is core to the Academy mission. This initiative will help endow two financial aid awards, freeing up funds from the operating budget to assist with other pressing priorities. These awards may be named for donors, or others, and will provide a crucial source of support as well as a lasting legacy at the Academy.

This initiative also aims at bolstering our community outreach programs. In addition to the students served on campus, the Academy’s community outreach programs are dedicated to promoting compassion and humility through service learning and to making a positive impact on the greater Albuquerque community, the state of New Mexico, and beyond. Outreach projects are abundant, and community service is part of the curriculum at all grade levels.

The focus of community service varies each year, but usually involves working with over one hundred nonprofit organizations in the community, which also enhances the special connections forged outside the classroom between and among students and faculty. This initiative embodies the school’s mission, strengthening the school’s commitment to making a difference in the lives of New Mexican families in the future.

Educational Future
Goal: $1,500,000

Albuquerque Academy is at the forefront of independent school discussions about educational issues such as globalism, technology, and communication. The rapidly changing global community requires constant evaluation of what constitutes excellence and relevance in education. This evaluation will, no doubt, reinforce the value of skills learned in a strong liberal arts curriculum. It will also provide new directions in preparing students to succeed both as they move on to the colleges of their choice and then later as they join a world characterized by globalization, diversity, and rapid change.

The Academy has already begun to address needs in this arena. The Gorvetzian Global Language Initiative, the faculty global travel program, the growing list of campus speakers and visitors from around the country and the world, and the expanded use of online communications and classroom technologies are all examples of the school's commitment to forward-looking education.

To further this work, a Fund for the Future will be created to support the school's ability to undertake new programs, taking advantage of opportunities which may arise outside of scheduled budgetary cycles. This fund will foster creativity and wisdom as knowledge and understanding of culture, language, geography, technology, and global perspective become even more critical components of a college-preparatory curriculum. As good ideas arise and compete for support, the Academy will be ready to move forward in a more nimble fashion than the yearly budget cycle allows.

As in the past, the Academy is committed to playing a leading role in independent school education. Supporting this initiative will ensure a legacy of education that prepares students to become citizens of the world.

Campus Expansion
Goal: $2,500,000

Besides being structurally beautiful, Albuquerque Academy buildings also impact school programming. The additions of the Science Center and Music Building show how dramatically departments can grow when housed in structures designed to meet specific educational needs. A campus-wide facilities audit will guide strategic thinking about campus expansion, building upon the legacy that began over 50 years ago.

One existing need has become obvious: The track, encircling the Richard A. Harper Memorial Field, is showing its age and requires a new all-weather surface to address drainage challenges as well as surfacing issues. The track supports the Academy’s cross-country and track teams (approximately 160 students each year), as well as physical education classes for all students in grades 6 and 7. The track was built in 1988 with an expected lifespan of 8-12 years explaining its substantial deterioration. The school has explored the option of replacing the existing track with a state-of-the-art Mondo track, built to last 25 years and designed to help prevent injuries. Supporting 9 lanes, it would become a premier track and field facility for the entire southwest region. An investment in this new track is an investment in Charger athletics, an essential part of school life.

One new idea has come up in community discussions: To build an experiential education facility on campus. Supporting experiential education of all types, this facility would be built with the help of students. The Academy's thoughtfully-structured outdoor education program, planned and led by full-time faculty members, allows students to enjoy activities that build invaluable traits, including team-work, self-reliance, problem solving, and environmental awareness and stewardship. Having proven itself as a landmark program since its earliest days as the Bear Canyon Project, this program has outgrown its current office and classroom spaces, presently housed in what was originally designed as a garage.

Those who choose to contribute to the Campus Expansion Initiative will have a direct impact on both the campus aesthetic, and on the programs that make the Academy so unique. It goes without saying that future campus expansion will be an expression of the community and reflect the Academy's interest in energy generation and sustainability.