Asbury University receives largest gift in school history

Institution’s largest single gift to support new Collaborative Learning Center and scholarships

Wilmore, Ky. – Asbury President Dr. Sandra C. Gray announced that a gift commitment of $8 million has been made to the university.

Gray made the announcement during a celebration of Asbury’s 125th anniversary. The gift is the largest in the institution’s history.

“The administration, board of trustees, alumni, faculty and staff have created a vision to propel Asbury’s mission into the future, and this historic generosity will ignite the university’s momentum toward that vision,” Gray said. “It is evidence, along with the many other important gifts we’ve received recently, that alumni, parents and friends believe in Asbury and the difference it makes in the lives of young people.”

The $8 million gift announced Saturday is historic not only in amount, but in kind, representing the largest single gift ever made to an Asbury building project, the largest single gift made to student scholarships, and the largest single gift made by an Asbury alum.

Offered by an alum who has chosen to remain anonymous, the gift will be utilized to support multiple areas: $4 million going to the University’s new Collaborative Learning Center (CLC); $3 million directly to funding student scholarships; $1 million to debt reduction.

At an anticipated cost of $25 million, the CLC will be the future home of programs in Natural Science and Math, as well as the Howard Dayton School of Business, and will help drive the potential for new academic programming. It is anticipated to accommodate 130 students majoring in the natural and allied sciences, 70 students majoring in the quantitative sciences and 400 majoring in business. It is expected to include 10-14 science laboratories, 10-13 classrooms, 20-25 faculty offices and a 300-seat auditorium.

“The intersection of business, math and science represents a new world of opportunity for our students both in their academic studies and in their career prospects,” said Dr. Michael Kane, Dean of the Howard Dayton School of Business. “This new center will benefit students by providing a collaborative learning environment that crosses disciplines to create new professional opportunities.”

With $3 million funding student scholarships, the gift also addresses one of the greatest needs among Asbury’s student body — a significant number of students are first generation college students and/or come from families who’ve devoted themselves to serving society.