Dickinson Honors Former President for Philanthropy, Leadership
Photo by Dan Loh.
Bill ’71 and Elke Durden Inducted into Founders' Society
by Matt Getty
Dickinson recently honored President Emeritus Bill Durden ’71 and his wife, Elke, as members of the college’s Founders’ Society, which recognizes donors with a cumulative giving to Dickinson of $1 million or more. In addition to celebrating the Durdens’ transformational giving to global education, scholarships, and faculty support, the event also recognized their 14 years of service during Durden’s run as college president from 1999 to 2013.
“To me, Bill represented everything you would ever want in a college president,” said President John E. Jones III '77, P'11, during the induction ceremony. “He was the sun around which the planets revolved here, constantly innovating and inspiring. He was indeed, as Teddy Roosevelt put it, ‘the man in the arena.’ … And Elke, who was the perfect First Lady, was equally helpful. Thank you, Bill and Elke, for your incredible passion and commitment to Dickinson.”
During Durden’s presidency, Dickinson greatly strengthened its national reputation. Achievements included completing a successful capital campaign, establishing the College Farm, increasing on-campus diversity, opening several new and renovated buildings, bringing to campus the distinctive red Adirondack chairs, developing plans to extend the Kline Center and acquire Allison Church, and deepening relationships between Dickinson and its local and alumni communities.
“We owe so much of Dickinson's distinction, its intellectual ambition, its generosity of community, its belief in young people and its championship of humanistic inquiry to Elke and Bill,” said Professor of English Claire Seiler, who also spoke during the induction ceremony.
Professor of English Claire Seiler spoke on behalf of herself and her husband, Professor of American Studies Cotten Seiler, on the Durdens' leadership, inspiration and friendship. Photo by Dan Loh.
The Durdens' work on behalf of Dickinson didn’t end when they left the college. Long time members of the Old West, Mermaid and John Dickinson societies, they remained loyal donors, honoring Bill’s time as president and Elke’s as a German professor. Through their generosity, they established the William ’71 and Elke Durden Annual Literary Series at Bremen and the William Wesley and Ruth Small Durden Scholarship Fund. They were also pivotal to the renovation of their former campus home into the John M Paz ’78 Alumni & Family Center.
That commitment to giving built on their work as fundraisers during Durden’s tenure. As former Board of Trustee Chair John Curley ’60 pointed out in his remarks, Dickinson’s endowment more than doubled during his presidency, and the number of million-dollar gifts grew even more.
“Before his tenure, there had only been three gifts of one million dollars,” he said. “When he completed his tenure, there were 33.”
From the Durdens' perspective, however, all these accomplishments were shared accomplishments. Humbled by the outpouring of appreciation, Bill thanked those in attendance—including many members of his senior staff—for helping him and Elke in all of their work.
“Today does not happen solely by our own efforts,” he said. “This event is not about thanking us, it's about us thanking you.”
Bill Durden '71 addresses the audience following his induction into the college's Founders' Society. Photo by Dan Loh.
The night ended with a surprise, as President Jones announced that the Durdens chose to honor their own induction into the Founders’ Society with yet another gift to Dickinson. This latest gift will endow an annual faculty seminar to spur interdisciplinary exchange and scholarship at Dickinson. Organized by the Clarke Forum, the seminar will bring together scholars from across campus to discuss compelling issues and generate new ideas and methods that faculty members can then bring back to their research, their classrooms, and the community at large.
Bill and Elke Durden hold up their Founders' Society proclamation. Photo by Dan Loh.
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Published September 30, 2024