Warren Wilson College

What it reported doing in 2024

Educational program: most programs rendered are related to providing useful and productive work, and service to others beyond the campus community. The full-time equivalent enrollment at the college during the 2024-2025 academic year was approximately 714 undergraduate students. A total of 200 students (both graduate and undergraduate) graduated from the college during the year. A low-residency graduate program in creative writing leading to a master of fine arts degree is also offered, and averages around 68 enrollees. The college prepared students representing a broadly diverse world for service, leadership, and meaningful lifelong work and study by offering an educational program that enables students to think critically, obtain and evaluate information effectively, and communicate clearly, introducing them to a variety of ways by which humans acquire and use knowledge, and that provides students with opportunities to develop a breadth of understanding and to make connections among areas considered critical to a liberal arts curriculum, and requiring that they demonstrate a depth of understanding through competence in one or more academic disciplines. Environmental studies is the major with the largest number of students, in keeping with another institutional objective, that of promoting environmental responsibility through education, campus operations policy, and community outreach. The college also furnishes students with opportunities to understand and appreciate a variety of cultures, assisting them in developing awareness of the commonality of human problems and the diversity of the world. The college sponsored three study away courses led by the college's faculty and staff in 2024-2025. These courses traveled to france, indonesia, and the netherlands. In addition, we sent 18 students on our semester-long study abroad exchange programs to countries around the world. Warren wilson college's experiential learning model leads students into considered reflection on the meaning and value of work and community engagement, guiding students in examining their lives and articulating their beliefs and values, and provides them with opportunities for personal, physical, moral, and spiritual development. The college also prioritizes community engagement as part of its mission, with significant contributions being made to schools and nonprofits in our immediate area and around the world. From 2024-2025 students completed 33,009 volunteer hours at 131 local, national, and international agencies during the year. For the college's annual service day over 250 students, faculty, and staff at warren wilson college participated at 29 sites contributing over 1150 hours of service to the community.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 66.2%; rating input score 66
• Program expense ratio: 86.6%; rating input score 87
• Fundraising efficiency: $18.22 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 89.7%; rating input score 90; 37th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 26.5%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.71; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.4%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 0.6% per year; rating input score 100; 9th percentile among comparable filings