State of the College
Celebrating 175 years at Coe
September 2026
For 175 years, Coe College has changed lives, one student at a time. Think for a moment about what that means. Generations of students have arrived on this campus with their own hopes, talents and ambitions. Here, they found professors who challenged them, friendships that sustained them and experiences that helped shape the course of their lives. Each of those stories is deeply personal. But taken together, across 175 years and tens of thousands of graduates, they tell a much larger story about the extraordinary impact of Coe College.
As we celebrate this remarkable anniversary during the 2026-2027 academic year, we are honoring that legacy while building upon it. Our Progress with Purpose strategic framework ensures today’s students receive the same kind of transformative education that has defined Coe for generations, while adapting to meet the changing needs of our students and the world they will enter.
That work is already taking shape. This fall, students have new opportunities in healthcare administration, nutrition and supply chain management. A new collaboration with Washington University in St. Louis creates a streamlined pathway for students to complete two engineering bachelor’s and one master’s degree in six years. We are also reaching new populations of learners through an innovative three-year, reduced-credit bachelor’s degree in business administration with a strategic leadership concentration, offered entirely online and one of the first in Iowa to be approved by the Higher Learning Commission.
Each of these efforts reflects an important truth about Coe’s history: This college has endured because it has never stood still. For 175 years, Coe has evolved while remaining true to the value of a deeply personal education grounded in the liberal arts.
That same thinking is behind Clearly Coe, a new initiative that reduces our published tuition by 45 percent. We want prospective students and their families to focus more clearly on what matters most in choosing a college: the education they will receive, the relationships they will build and the person they will become. Leadership, critical thinking, problem-solving, communication and collaboration are not simply skills for a first job. They are the foundation for a lifetime of meaningful work, service and contribution. By offering a realistic, affordable starting point up front, we’re empowering prospective students to make confident, informed choices about their futures.
Growing the legacy
But Coe’s 175-year history is not simply the account of its students, faculty and staff. It is also the story of those who believed enough in this college to support it.
Consider how many individual acts of generosity were required to sustain Coe for 175 years. A gift from an alumnus. A scholarship established in gratitude for a professor. A contribution from a parent whose child found a home here. A bequest from someone who wanted Coe to flourish long after his or her lifetime. No single gift built the Coe College we know today. The accumulation of thousands upon thousands of acts of generosity did.
We are the beneficiaries of that legacy. The classrooms, scholarships, programs, traditions and opportunities our students enjoy today exist because generations before us decided that Coe was worth investing in.
Now it is our turn
This is Coe College’s 175th year. It is also the first year of our next 175.
Heather and I have reflected on what that means for us personally, and this year we have increased our own giving to Coe. It was an easy decision for us, because every day we are blessed to witness firsthand the transformative impact the college has in the lives of its students. Thus, as we celebrate this milestone anniversary year, I ask you to consider doing the same. Whether you make your first gift, renew your support legacy that will sustain Coe and its students far beyond our own time. One hundred seventy-five years from now, others will inherit the college we helped shape. This is our moment to make our impact.
Thank you for believing in Coe, for investing in our students and for helping write the first chapter of Coe’s next 175 years.
Alma mater, hail hail hail.
David Hayes '93
President
The State of the College appeal is a cornerstone of Coe’s Annual Fund, helping to provide essential resources that enrich every aspect of the student experience. By participating in this year’s appeal, you’re not only celebrating the achievements of our community, you’re also investing in the continued success of Coe College. Together, we can shape a brighter future for our students and campus.