ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 9, 1997 TAG: 9704090042
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MATT CHITTUM THE ROANOKE TIMES
The administration building will be restored, an adjoining dormitory will be renovated, and science and math labs will be upgraded.
Mary Baldwin College announced a $10 million gift from an anonymous donor Tuesday. The gift, from a woman identified only as an alumna of the 155-year-old women's college in Staunton, is the largest single donation ever made to the college.
"I think what's unusual about this gift is it's looking at what we need right now," said Crista Cabe, spokeswoman for the college.
The money is earmarked for the restoration of the college's Administration Building and the renovation of an adjoining dormitory.
The administration building is the college's oldest structure and is badly in need of repair, Cabe said. The brick walls are bowing under their own weight.
The gift will fix that problem as well as replace electrical, heating and air conditioning, plumbing and fire protection systems. It also will pay for asbestos removal.
McClung Residence Hall will be renovated to "current standards of technology, comfort and safety," a news release said.
The gift also will provide for upgrades of science and math laboratories at the school, along with other academic facilities.
"This is not business as usual," President Cynthia Tyson said in the release. "This money will be used to directly improve the quality of education we offer our students and will help position Mary Baldwin for the 21st century."
None of the money was specifically earmarked for the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership at the college. The VWIL program, which was set up two years ago as an alternative to all-male VMI, has guaranteed funding only through next year, but Cabe said the cadets will benefit from the money spent on science and math facilities. The VWIL curriculum requires more math and science courses than many other majors at the college.
The donor is a supporter of VWIL, Cabe said.
"I believe that Mary Baldwin has a bright future and that in the coming years it will become known nationally as the college for women who want to learn leadership and as a place where ethics and standards are high," the donor said in the release. "I wanted to help make that happen."
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