Friday, November 12, 2004

Countdown Update: College Meets Kresge Foundation Challenge

Chestertown, MD, December 23, 2004 — With eight days remaining to meet its fundraising goal, Washington College has raised 100 percent of the $2.8 million required to secure a $750,000 challenge grant from The Kresge Foundation of Troy, MI, announced last April. The gifts and pledges received will go toward the new 45,000-square-foot John S. Toll Science Center—to be completed by January 1—or for the renovations to the Dunning/Decker Science Complex beginning in early 2005.

“In my first six months as president, it has been my distinct pleasure to witness the generous outpouring of support for this institution, and the dedication of its leadership," said President Baird Tipson. "I look forward to continuing our work together in making Washington College a premier liberal arts college.”

Graduates who have made careers in the field of medicine were asked by trustee Ralph Snyderman '61, M.D., Emeritus Chancellor for Health Affairs at Duke University and President and CEO of Duke University Health System, to support the project. Alumni and friends of the late Joseph H. McLain—Washington College alumnus, chemistry professor and president—have already raised nearly $750,000 to name the atrium linking Dunning/Decker Hall to the new Science Center in his honor. In addition, friends of the late Ted Kurze '43, an eminent neurosurgeon credited with pioneering microscopy in surgery, are working to raise funds to name the psychology department's new neuroscience lab in his honor.

“The College is not only receiving major leadership commitments from those who are able to make sizeable gifts, but also contributions from many alumni, parents and friends at whatever level they can afford,” Dr. Tipson added. “This support has been gratifying, and we are very appreciative to all who have given. We thank everyone who has contributed to the effort with a gift, no matter the size, to help us meet this worthy—and urgent—goal.”

Designed to provide a lab-rich environment for supporting new and evolving models for teaching the sciences to undergraduates, the new John S. Toll Science Center and renovated Dunning/Decker Complex will double the size of the College's existing science teaching and research facilities and will be outfitted with state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories for biology, chemistry, environmental studies, physics, psychology, and math and computer science, as well as a vivarium to support psychological research and a greenhouse.

The Kresge Foundation—an independent, private foundation unaffiliated with any corporation or organization—was created in 1924 by Sebastian S. Kresge “to promote the well-being of mankind.” In 2003, the Foundation awarded grants totaling more than $105 million to 145 charitable and nonprofit organizations operating in the areas of higher education, health and long-term care, arts and humanities, human services, science and the environment, and public affairs.

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