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Centre trustees celebrate meeting $200 million campaign goal

Approve new campus master plan at spring meeting

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DANVILLE, Ky. (April 16, 2018) — The Centre College board of trustees met April 12-13 to celebrate reaching its goal of raising $200 million for its Third Century Campaign. It also considered a new and comprehensive Campus Master Plan, which was approved unanimously.

Other activity included passage of the 2018-2019 fiscal year budget, review of the continued positive trends in admission and student recruitment, conversation about work in support of Title IX efforts, the honoring of faculty and staff retirees, and re-electing trustees and board officers.

Shawn Lyons, vice president for development and alumni engagement, reported that the college surpassed its fundraising goal on March 22, about nine months ahead of schedule. Current gifts and pledges now total $200,786,662. After expressing gratitude to James C. Seabury III for his work chairing the campaign, as well as for the trustee generosity that comprised much of the giving, he was quick to add that work remains to meet several campaign priorities that remain underfunded.

Lyons also shared news of the recent $850,000 collaborative grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation of New York to be shared by Centre, Rhodes College and Sewanee: The University of the South. The four-year grant will help expand the learning experience of students at the three institutions through collaboration on select study abroad, study away and internship experiences, and will also focus on sharing faculty assessment of student learning.

The meeting’s plenary session featured a presentation by Chief Planning Officer Patrick Noltemeyer and CFO Brian Hutzley, who have led a year-long process to craft a vision for the campus that provides a flexible guide to future building and site improvement decisions. Two basic assumptions underlie the Campus Master Plan: maintaining existing campus boundaries and planning for a student body of 1,500 students. Current enrollment stands at 1,450.

As explained by Noltemeyer, key goals include supporting and enhancing the student educational experience, both inside and outside the classroom; creating a healthy and supportive physical environment conducive to productive work by faculty and staff; strengthening the student community and vitality of the neighborhood; and setting an example for environmental sustainability.

The 20-year plan includes a focus on existing capital priorities and three future phases that look at projects in two initial five-year increments, followed by a third 10-year phase.