Centre College receives $250M gift, one of the biggest-ever to a university

Centre College, a tiny liberal arts school in Kentucky that hosted US vice presidential debates in 2012 and 2000 has received one of the biggest donations ever given to a university.

The private college is the lucky recipient of a gift of stocks worth $250 million from the A. Eugene Brockman Charitable Trust. A. Eugene Brockman’s son Bob attended Centre College.

The gift is among the 20 biggest donations given to a university, according to a list compiled by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

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College officials said the school will use the money to fund 40 “full-ride-plus” scholarships a year for students majoring in natural sciences, computational sciences and economics. (Only about 335 students enroll each year at the college.)

The grants will be available starting in fall 2014, and will cover tuition, room, board, study abroad opportunities, summer research and internships.

“This magnificent gift establishing the Brockman Scholars Program marks a fundamental transformation in Centre College’s ability to support students whose hard work, character, and intellect have demonstrated their potential for leadership,” Centre President John A. Roush said.

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