Lindsey Wilson University Community Celebrates the Power and Impact of Endowed Scholarships

Growth in support for endowed scholarships has contributed to 'an 'incredible time' at the university.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (10/24/2026) — It's "an incredible time" at Lindsey Wilson University with an even brighter future on the horizon.

And a big reason for that optimism is the growth in the university's endowed scholarships.

That was the chief message delivered at the university's Fall Trustee Appreciation and Endowment Scholarship Luncheon, held Friday, Oct. 23, in the university's Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center.

"What an incredible time it is right now in the life of Lindsey Wilson University," Lindsey Wilson President William T. Luckey Jr. told more than 200 guests who attended the annual event. "The feeling of excitement and joy is palatable as you walk the campus."

One reason for that excitement on the A.P. White Campus is that Lindsey Wilson's total enrollment of 3,548 students is the third largest in the school's 123-year history -- and it is larger than the enrollment of 2025-26, the first school year as Lindsey Wilson University.

"If you're wondering whether that transition from college to university is working, well, it sure hasn't hurt -- I can promise you that," said Luckey.

Endowment growth

But an even bigger reason for the university's era of good feeling is the growth of its endowment and the expansion of its endowed scholarships. Luckey told the audience that in the last 16 years, Lindsey Wilson's overall endowment has grown from $9 million to more than $60 million, with a goal to reach at least $100 million.

Funds from a total of 266 endowed scholarships were awarded to 336 undergraduate students this school year, and the scholarships' impact has reverberated throughout the university.

"They have ignited quality and growth in our talented faculty, our expert staff and our campus itself," said Lindsey Wilson trustee Carrie Luker Farris '67, who delivered the luncheon's keynote address. "Because of this quality and growth, Lindsey Wilson has attracted students from all over the world. For many, they are offered opportunities they had only dreamed of, and they have received an education that could pave the pathway to great success."

One of those students is Tezon Mitchell '27 of Greensburg, Kentucky.

Mitchell told the luncheon that the endowed scholarships he was awarded allowed him to attend Lindsey Wilson and set him on the path of becoming the first college graduate in his family.

"I hope to someday repay it tenfold," said Mitchell, who is an art and arts administration double major and Campbellsville High School graduate.

Fellow undergraduate Jay Woodall '27 of Science Hill, Kentucky, said in her remarks that an endowed scholarship is more than an investment in a student's Lindsey Wilson career.

"I now know that when you invest in a student, you are not investing in where they are today -- you are investing in every person they will go on to impact," said Woodall, who is a human services and counseling major and Southwestern High School graduate.

Farris, who was able to attend Lindsey Wilson because of a scholarship offered to children of United Methodist ministers, helped the school rebuild momentum for its Alumni & Friends Walkway Scholarship. After the scholarship fund's somewhat "long and bumpy" beginning, Ferris and other members of the Lindsey Wilson Alumni Council rallied to help raise enough funds to award money to its first recipient in November 2007. The student was so appreciative of the modest $500 award that she returned 10% of it to the school.

Today, the Alumni & Friends Walkway Scholarship has an endowment fund worth $305,778, which this school year allowed the Lindsey Wilson Alumni Association to award five scholarships worth a combined $10,000.

"The endowment as a whole is so very important to the future of Lindsey Wilson University," said Farris, adding that the students who receive an endowed scholarship "are your legacy -- they are a blessing."

More than an education

And as Woodall said, a Lindsey Wilson scholarship is a gateway to more than a college education.

"I came to Lindsey for what I thought was a good way to make friends, and I stayed because I found family," she said.

Woodall said that because of the special relationships she has forged with Lindsey Wilson faculty and staff during her college years, she has found success that she did not know was attainable.

"Every time I went through something, I remember it feeling impossible to pick everything up and move on," she said. But I always had someone there to pick up the pieces for me and help me put them back together, step by step. These relationships are a huge part of why Lindsey stopped feeling like a college campus and why it started feeling like a home.

"I have watched myself go from a 17-year-old freshman in college battling imposter syndrome to a confident 20-year-old who gave a speech last year about overcoming imposter syndrome because of the unwavering support I received from my Lindsey Wilson family."

Mitchell also recalled how his scholarships helped him discover the power of family, shared experiences and empathy.

"At Lindsey, you are taught that you can be more than what your family tells you are, you can be more than just a product of your environment," said Mitchell. "You can pursue your dreams, you can build lifelong relationships. My family here are people who taught me that I could care more than I ever have before. They taught me how to believe in myself; how to let myself be happy and sad and see the value in both; they taught me what a real family is supposed to look like, even in the face of tragedy."

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