RELEASED: Feb. 17, 2005

DANVILLE, KY—With the competition for horse racing's Triple Crown underway, Centre College's own three-tiered challenge for alumni annual giving is charging out of the gates.

Centre's "Triple Crown Challenge," brought about by a pledge from an anonymous alumnus, was announced at the annual Associate's Dinner at Churchill Downs in January.

"This is another great example in a long line of Centre alumni who have come through in the clutch," says Jamey Elliott, director of annual giving at Centre. "We're so fortunate to have had another anonymous alumnus step forward this spring. The Triple Crown Challenge will not only help us to raise more money for our students, faculty and staff, it will also help us in our efforts to secure our standing as having 'the most loyal alumni in the country.'" (Centre currently leads the nation in annual alumni giving percentage and has held this spot for 16 of the last 21 years.)

In light of the success of the "$100K Challenge" last spring, when an anonymous alumnus pledged $100,000 to the College Centre project if Centre received 2,000 alumni donations between Feb. 1 and June 30, 2004. This year's unnamed benefactor has stepped forward with a $250,000 challenge that has three components:

* Leg One—As in the $100K Challenge last year, this year's anonymous alumnus will donate $100,000 to the college if an additional 2,500 alumni make a gift, of any size, between February 1 and June 30.

* Leg Two—The donor has pledged an additional $150,000 to match new and increased gifts to Centre. That means all Centre alumni and friends can help ensure that Centre receives all of the available $150,000 regardless of the size and date of previous gifts.

* Leg Three—By increasing both the number of donors and the size of individual gifts, Centre maximizes the resources available for student financial aid, which remains the College's highest financial priority. Last year, Centre ranked 13th in the country for the average alumni gift—just ahead of Stanford. This year the College has set a goal of breaking into the top-10.

The ultimate goal is to raise as much money for students, faculty and staff as possible and to maintain Centre's standing as having "the most loyal alumni in the country."

To help Centre be the next Triple Crown winner, call the Alumni Office toll-free at 877-678-9822 or make a gift online at http://gifts.centre.edu.

For more information or questions about the Triple Crown Challenge contact the Alumni Office at 859-238-5500.
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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.

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