Wesleyan University

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
060646959
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Middletown, CT, USA
Phone
8606852000
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Undergraduate College (4-year)
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$443,190,970
Expenses
$403,475,000
Assets
$2,515,092,000
Liabilities
$525,064,000

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

60 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MICHAEL S ROTH (PRESIDENT AND TRUSTEE)
  • DAVE BAIRD (VICE PRESIDENT FOR IT/CIO)

Highest reported compensation

  • ANNE MARTIN (CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER): $1,375,606 total reported compensation
  • MICHAEL S ROTH (PRESIDENT AND TRUSTEE): $1,374,453 total reported compensation
  • JONATHAN DON FARRAR (DIRECTOR OF INVESTMENTS): $715,793 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Wesleyan university is dedicated to providing an education in liberal arts by building a diverse, energetic community of students, faculty, and staff who value independence of mind and generosity of spirit. See additional description in schedule o.

What it reported doing in 2024

Auxiliary services and otherauxiliary services include the costs of room and board for approximately 3,000 students residing on a 316 acre campus. There are 8 residence halls, 7 apartment complexes and over 25 program houses in addition to over 140 house units on campus for upper-class students. Working in partnership with students and collaboratively with other members of the wesleyan community, the office of residential life strives to provide a safe and supportive residential environment that complements and extends students' educational experience. Student-centered programs and services are developed and implemented with an emphasis on holistic individual and community development, student leadership, individual responsibility, advocacy of academic inquiry, and freedom of thought, opinion and expression in the spirit of mutual respect. These are the hallmarks of the wesleyan residential experience, and they provide the essential foundation for a quality liberal arts education within a diverse and dynamic community.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 80% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 72% for direct work, and 28% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 99
  • Sustainability: 72
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94.6%; rating input score 95
  • Program expense ratio: 87%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.52 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • 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: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 97.5%; rating input score 98; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 9%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.23; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.21; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.4%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.2% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 94.6% of revenue deployed · 87% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 39 of 40 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $351.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1.4M · 60 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $43.1M reported
  • Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 13 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 21 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 18/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 47/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.