98% of Centre Class of 2015 employed or seeking advanced study

School has received more than $8 million in gifts and grants this fiscal year

DANVILLE, Ky. (April 18, 2016) — Ninety-eight percent of the Centre College Class of 2015 are employed or pursuing advanced study, according to a report presented at the school’s spring trustees meeting from April 14-15.

Centre has received gifts and grants totaling more than $8 million from approximately 5,200 donors during the current fiscal year, said Richard Trollinger, vice president for College Relations. Included among these gifts is the historic Thomas Lyne House in Woodford County, which was given to the College by a trustee and his wife to fund a scholarship when sold. Trollinger also announced that momentum for the $200 million Third Century Campaign continues to strengthen, with gifts and pledges now exceeding $126 million.

The board also approved two new endowed scholarships and an endowed fund for summer internships: the Herndon-Hines Scholarship Fund, the Myrtle Hayes Simpson and Gertrude Haynes Memorial Scholarship and the Michael and Sarah Jury Internship Fund.

Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Bob Nesmith cited a marked increase in diversity among the Class of 2020 applicant pool, with applications up 8 percent over last year from international students and students of color. Nesmith also referenced the College’s three premier scholarship programs—Brown Fellows, Grissom Scholars and the new Lincoln Scholars—as important contributors to the rise in applicant diversity and talent.

The first class of Lincoln Scholars, representing states throughout the nation and across the globe, will begin their inaugural year at Centre in the fall of 2016 with “full-ride plus” scholarships and three summer enrichment experiences, along with self-directed study opportunities. Robert J. Schalkoff, of Yamaguchi Prefectural University in Japan, has been chosen to lead the Lincoln Scholars Program beginning in July 2016.

The Sorority Extension Committee invited a new sorority, Kappa Delta, to colonize on campus in fall 2016, becoming Centre’s fifth sorority.

The board also gave approval for five new tenure-track faculty hired to begin in the fall of 2016: Thomas Allen (computer science); Satty Flaherty-Echeverría (Spanish); Karin Gill (behavioral neuroscience); Matthew Kassner (psychology); and Michael Lamar (mathematics).

A four-year, $400,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to be applied toward Asian and environmental studies on campus and abroad was also announced. The grant, which comes from the Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment (LIASE), will focus on China, Malaysia and Thailand.

The board approved the budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 and five trustees were re-elected to serve six-year terms that continue through June 30, 2022. Those trustees are Greg W. Caudill, Paul W. Chellgren, Barb Emler ’76, Jeffrey L. Mackin ’83 and Eddy Roberts, Jr.

James D. Rouse ’62 was also named an emeritus trustee, acknowledging his 36 years of service as a board member, 28 of those years as board secretary.

Board officers elected for the 2016-2017 year are Randal B. Kell ’69, chair; Mark E. Nunnelly ’80, vice chair; Crit Luallen ’74, secretary; John A. Roush, president of the College; and Yvonne York Morley, assistant secretary.

The next meeting of the Centre College board of trustees will take place Oct. 20-21, on the Centre campus.