This summer marks the start of the Bold Vision Bright Future, a $200 million capital and endowment campaign set to reshape our campus. With new buildings, modernized learning spaces and a major boost to the endowment, the campaign focuses on two goals: build a bright future and sustain the mission.
Phase one went underway with the demolition of Hyde Library making way for a new arts and sciences building featuring an 820-seat Hyde Chapel. Also included in this phase are a new admissions office and Park Avenue entrance with a guard house. Future phases will introduce a library, new Lower School, upgraded athletic facilities, an indoor turf field and a baseball field house.
Many school leaders see these upgrades as long overdue. Even without dedicated arts facilities in the past, students and faculty have achieved major milestones. From school concerts and albums to Scholastic and BRACE Art Awards, the arts department has established itself as one of the most notable up-and-coming programs in the Memphis area. The new spaces are expected to energize the campus community and better reflect the school’s academic and artistic priorities, allowing MUS students to take full advantage of their opportunities. Faculty also hope current students will have a voice in shaping the experience, according to Mr. Zach Hansen, Head of Upper School.
At the same time, the transformation goes beyond physicality. Changes to curriculum, programs, and classes are in discussion—work that may have an even greater impact than construction. Mr. Zach Hansen emphasized that the core values of MUS will be unchanged, but the ways in which the staff deliver these values will adapt over time.
According to the Bold Vision Bright Future webpage, MUS has also secured $50 million in endowment commitments, bringing the total to over $100 million. This will make MUS one of the most financially stable independent schools in the region.
The endowment supports key areas like need-based financial aid, faculty recruitment and innovation in academics, and student life. MUS made the conscious decision to begin the campaign by initially focusing on endowment rather than buildings, reflecting MUS’s dedication to long-term stability. Headmaster Pete Sanders believes that, “endowment is an engine for creativity and growth, not just a financial backstop. It gives us freedom to take on challenges.”
The Bold Vision Bright Future campaign is the centerpiece of Legacy Forward, the school’s strategic plan launched in 2020 to guide MUS into the coming decades. By investing in modern facilities and expanding the endowment, the campaign aims to preserve what makes MUS distinctive while preparing students for the future.
“This institution and its alumni have had a profound influence on their communities,” Sanders said. “Now is the time to assure that the campus, its teachers, and its programs continue to serve as a beacon of excellence for future generations.”