Historic $250 million donation will create Brockman Scholars Program
DANVILLE, Ky. (July 30, 2013) — Centre College has received a gift of $250 million in the form of stock in Universal Computer Systems Holding Inc. (Reynolds and Reynolds) from the A. Eugene Brockman Charitable Trust to establish the Brockman Scholars Program in Leadership and Entrepreneurship.
Forty new Brockman Scholarships will be funded each year beginning in the fall of 2014 for students majoring in the natural sciences, computational sciences, and economics, creating the nation’s premier scholarship program that will include a total of 160 students by 2017.
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Selected on the basis of merit, Brockman Scholars will receive “full-ride-plus” scholarships that provide tuition, room and board, and fees, along with funds to support study abroad experiences and summer research and internship opportunities.
The gift by the A. Eugene Brockman Charitable Trust is the largest outright gift ever to a liberal arts college. It is also the lead gift for Centre’s $500 million Third Century Campaign, which will conclude in advance of the College’s bicentennial celebration on January 21, 2019.
“This magnificent gift establishing the Brockman Scholars Program marks a fundamental transformation in Centre College’s ability to support students whose hard work, character, and intellect have demonstrated their potential for leadership,” said Centre President John A. Roush.
“The problems and the opportunities confronting our nation and world are increasingly complex,” Roush continued, “and the Brockman Scholars Program will empower talented young women and men with the knowledge, creativity, and integrity necessary to address them.” Roush also said that the gift “is a wonderful testament to the vision of the Brockman Trust’s founder.”
While a variety of factors will be considered in the process to select well-rounded, bright, and aspiring students who think creatively and aspire to leadership roles, a commitment to hard work and the belief that effort brings reward will be determining factors in choosing Brockman Scholars.
This commitment to hard work was foremost among the attributes A. Eugene Brockman had in mind to support when he created his charitable trust in 1981.
“The A. Eugene Brockman Trust chose to make this gift and establish this program at Centre College for several reasons,” said Evatt Tamine, trustee of the Brockman Trust.
“First, Mr. Brockman saw firsthand the tremendous impact that Centre had on his son, Bob, whose own drive and ambition were empowered by his experience as a Centre student. Also the Trust believes that preparation for leadership and service in a rapidly changing world best takes place with the firm intellectual, moral, and social grounding that young people receive especially well at Centre,” Tamine continued.
“The Trust firmly believes that the Brockman Scholars Program will become a model for other programs, further demonstrating Centre’s leadership position among American liberal arts colleges.”
Tamine worked closely with Richard Trollinger, vice president for college relations at Centre and a scholar of philanthropy, to structure the gift and its purpose.
“Having studied and written about transformational giving in American higher education,” said Trollinger, “makes being involved with such an historic gift particularly meaningful. More important, I am gratified to know that this gift will have a profound impact on the future of entrepreneurial leadership in this country.”
“The vision for this gift,” Trollinger added, “is to enable Centre to attract highly qualified students who become ‘job creators’ as they devote entrepreneurial thinking to society’s needs, thereby stimulating economic growth.”
Brockman Scholars may pursue a variety of majors at Centre, including behavioral neuroscience, biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, chemistry, chemical physics, computer science, economics, financial economics, mathematics, physics, and psychology.
Centre College, founded in 1819, offers students the nation’s premier study abroad program. Its faculty is ranked #5 in the nation for “Best Undergraduate Teaching” by U.S. News & World Report. Centre graduates enjoy success, with entrance to top graduate and professional schools, prestigious fellowships for further study abroad (Rhodes, Rotary, Fulbright), and rewarding jobs (on average, 97 percent are employed or in advanced study within 10 months of graduation).
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