Recognition Societies

From the Summit Society to the Charles Macalester Society, we celebrate the thousands of donors who support the college.

Charles Macalester Society

Recognition in the Charles Macalester Society is offered to living individuals whose lifetime giving has reached or exceeded $1 million. Recognition is given in perpetuity.

Charles Macalester Society honorees have participated in the life of the college in countless important ways, helping to build a strong financial foundation. The Charles Macalester Society exists to recognize their extraordinarily generous lifetime financial support.

James Wallace Society

Those who make a commitment to Macalester’s future through an estate provision or life income gift are welcomed as members of the James Wallace Society. This planned giving recognition society honors all alumni, parents and friends whose gifts of future support are helping to ensure Macalester’s continued excellence.

Bell Tower Society

Recognition in the Bell Tower Society is extended to living individuals whose giving to the college for current or capital purposes amount to $100,000 or more in a given year. Membership is renewable each year (Macalester’s giving year is June 1 – May 31). Honorees are listed annually in the college’s stewardship report.

Edward Duffield Neill, who founded Macalester in 1874 as a place to educate leaders for the nation’s new frontiers, venerated the sense of tradition found in the best colleges in the East. Neill, who had already established public education at every level in the Territory of Minnesota, obtained a bell for his new private college. It was manufactured in 1855 and is believed to be the oldest bell in St. Paul. The bell received a permanent home when the Classes of 1927 and 1928 contributed the Bell Tower that now stands as a campus landmark.

For years, the bell has called the community together for convocations and official events. Its deep, clear tone reverberates across campus in a timeless summons to community. Responding to the call of the bell is one of the first ways in which students learn to participate in the life of Macalester College.

Old Main Society

Recognition in the Old Main Society is extended to living individuals who have donated for any purpose in 25 or more fiscal years. Honorees receive special designation in the Honor Roll of Donors.

Built in 1884, Old Main stands as a stalwart symbol of permanence and strength. The building symbolizes, perhaps more than any other landmark on campus, the beginnings of this magnificent college. As the very first building, Old Main was the foundation for the campus we know today.

The Old Main Society exists to thank living individuals who have provided a financial foundation by donating 25 or more fiscal years. Like Old Main, society honorees provide invaluable leadership to Macalester, by providing steady, consistent support to the college. Old Main Society honorees, valued members of the Macalester community, will be recognized in such publications as the donor report and receive invitations to select events.

Summit Society

Donors who support the Macalester Fund for five or more consecutive years, or who have made a gift every year since graduation, are recognized through membership in the Summit Society.

Summit Society members invest in opportunities and possibilities for Macalester students and provide access to a globally conscious education.

Grand Society

Annual giving at the leadership level—$1,600 and above each year—is vital to the growth of the Macalester Fund.

Macalester’s commitment to access, academic excellence and programmatic innovation require investment in the Macalester Fund; members of the Grand Society are partners in creating a bright and accomplished future for Macalester.