CENTRE PARENT FUND
Centre's alumni are recognized nationally as being the most loyal, satisfied alumni of any college in the country. They register their satisfaction by participating in the Centre Annual Fund - with over 53 percent of them making a gift last year. In fact, over 80 percent of Centre alumni have made a gift to the College at some point.
Over twenty-five years ago, when Centre was first
pronounced NUMBER ONE in the nation in alumni
giving, no one could have predicted the impact
that single fact would have on the College's future.
In just a few years, Centre's name began creeping
up in national conversations about liberal arts
colleges and in "best buy" rankings; the media
took notice of this small school in Kentucky that
seemed to do giant things; the Olin Foundation
gave Centre funding for one of its prestigious
buildings, and the rest is recent history.
In short, this reputation for loyalty and satisfaction put this small school on the map and gained us national recognition.
Parents are another important group of supporters who have an impact on Centre. Each year many of you choose to support the Parent Fund with donations ranging from $5 to $5,000. While the College is quite aware of the financial commitment that current parents are already making, we also believe that participation in the Parent Fund is important to the College for the same reasons that alumni giving is so critical. Our parents can let the world know that they, too, believe in what the College is trying to accomplish and can carry on our tradition of participation.
The Parent Fund had an excellent 2008-2009 year, with 48 percent of Centre parents contributing a total of $167,382! The money raised was used for two primary purposes.
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The Collegiate Readership Program - Free issues of the Herald Leader, New York Times, and USA Today are available in several locations around campus, promoting newspaper readership among Centre students.
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The Campus Center Lounge - Complete with comfortable couches and chairs, ping pong and pool tables, and a big screen television for video game systems, the student lounge will be enjoyed by all Centre students for years to come.
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Parent Fund gifts also supported such vital College needs as recruiting and retaining the best faculty, upgrading learning technology, and improving campus facilities and buildings.
As 2009-2010 begins, Centre parents again have an opportunity to make a difference. This year, the Parent Fund will focus on three projects.
First, we will create a signature project for the Parent Fund. As you know, all first-year students at Centre are required to read a pre-selected book prior to arriving on campus. A book discussion is incorporated into orientation week as a way for students to get to know one another and their faculty advisor. The book selection committee would like to bring the authors of these books to campus to speak to students. The author could offer additional insights into his/her book and expand on the subject. Parent Fund support of this effort would ensure that every group of first-year students has the opportunity to get the most from the book and the orientation discussions.
Another project for the Parent Fund this year involves the new science building. Plans are underway to expand and renovate Young Hall to provide more classroom and laboratory space for the science programs. In discussions of this project, one need in particular seems appropriate for the Parent Fund. The increased laboratory space has created a need for additional microscopes for the Introductory Biology lab. Introduction to Biology is taken by more than 220 Centre students each year. Each microscope will contain an engraved plaque indicating it was provided by the Parent Fund.
In addition, parents continue to be supportive of The Collegiate Readership Program. This initiative, always funded by parents, has become very popular on campus. In order to continue providing free newspapers to students, the Parent Fund will once again lend its support to this program.
To ensure these three projects have adequate funding, the Parent Fund goal for 2009-2010 will be $171,000, a 3.5 percent increase from our current level of support. Although this is an aggressive goal, we are confident that Centre parents will help make these projects a success. This year's participation goal for parents will be 53 percent.
The Parent Fund has completed many successful projects that are still having an impact on current Centre students. Past projects of the Parent Fund include:
Participate! Please consider making a gift to the College's Parent Fund today!
MAKE A DONATION!
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