(LAWRENCEVILLE, Va.) November 21, 2011 – Saint Paul’s College (SPC) President, Eddie N. Moore, Jr. today announced that Virginia philanthropist Jane Batten, through her donor designated and advised funds at the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, is providing major new support for the small private college, located in Lawrenceville, Virginia.
The announcement came as Saint Paul’s new leadership team launched its “Now & Forever” campaign. The “Now” is to raise $5 million by the end of June 2012 for campus renovations and to support the school’s operating budget. And, the “Forever” is for a future multi-year campaign as determined by the Board and Leadership Council’s strategic plan.
“The fund-raising campaign, budget right-sizing and organizational re-structuring underway at Saint Paul’s are key elements in the school’s drive to be reaffirmed in June with full accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges,” said Moore, who took the helm as CEO and interim president on November 10th. “We need individuals who believe in the Saint Paul’s mission, and we need them to step up and support us now.”
Moore added, “Saint Paul’s College is committed to positioning the College for a long-range strategic planning process and the expansion of the newly formed, broadly representative external leadership council that in tandem with the Board will inform, advise and ensure the continuing relevance of that planning process, long after any individual leaders have come and gone.”
Challenge grant and endowment:
The Batten Educational Achievement Fund of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation is providing a half-million dollar challenge grant to help raise unrestricted funds for the SPC annual operating needs. The Batten challenge grant will match dollar-for-dollar up to $500,000 in unrestricted gifts to the Saint Paul’s Annual Fund through next June.
In addition, the Batten Fund for Saint Paul’s College of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation has been established to administer a $1 million endowment to support SPC’s Single Parent Support System. The program, the only one of its kind in Virginia, delivers support including on-site developmental childcare, academic and social support programs and residential quarters for single parents while they pursue a college degree.
“When you help people grow and improve themselves, everyone benefits,” said Batten. “The commitment to a brighter future for all of us is why we have offered resources to make college available to people who otherwise would not have access to higher education.”
“We are grateful beyond words for Mrs. Batten’s support,” said Moore. “Receiving the challenge grant in particular is a wonderful way to kick-off our fund-raising efforts. Mrs. Batten and her late husband, communications entrepreneur Frank Batten, Sr. created a lasting legacy of support for expanded opportunity through higher education.”
“We also want to thank the Reverend and Mrs. Joseph N. Green, Jr. of Norfolk, who through their friendship and community work, played an instrumental role in introducing Mrs. Batten to the Saint Paul’s Single Parent Support System program,” said Oliver W. Spencer, Jr., Ph.D, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Saint Paul’s College. “Father and Mrs. Green’s service and contributions to a better life for all people are an inspiration to us all.”
“There are those who ask, ‘Why Saint Paul’s?’ And the simple answer is this: students need to have the option to select a small liberal arts college where they can explore and develop in a caring and nurturing environment,” said Moore.
“There are young people in our Commonwealth and beyond who can best thrive in the kind of supportive, character building and spiritual environment that Saint Paul’s offers,” said E. Bruce Heilman, Ph.D, co-chairman of SPC’s leadership council and SPC trustee. “Saint Paul’s serves students who might be lost in or consumed by larger schools. Our country is great in part because of the diversity of its educational opportunities.”
About Saint Paul’s College:
Founded in 1888 and affiliated with the Episcopal Church, Saint Paul’s College is a private, historically black, accredited, four-year coeducational and culturally diverse liberal arts institution of higher learning located in the rolling hills of Brunswick County in Southern Virginia. Saint Paul’s offers baccalaureate degrees in the arts and sciences, teacher education endorsements, professional and pre-professional programs, and the only Single Parent Support System program for degree-seeking single parents in Virginia. Saint Paul’s offers an accelerated degree program for working adults in four locations across Virginia including Richmond, Farmville, Franklin and on Saint Paul’s Lawrenceville campus. Learn more at www.saintpauls.edu.
About Hampton Roads Community Foundation:
The Hampton Roads Community Foundation is southeastern Virginia’s largest grant and scholarship provider. Since its founding in 1950, the regional community foundation has provided more than $152 million in grants and scholarships to improve life in southeastern Virginia. For more information, please visit www.hamptonroadscf.org or contact Sally Kirby Hartman, VP for Communications at (757) 622-7951, or shartman@hamptonroadscf.org.
