DANVILLE, KY—The James Graham Brown Foundation, long one of Centre College's most important partners in making a Centre education possible for hundreds of Kentucky's best students, announced this fall that it will award a $900,000 grant to the College. The James Graham Brown Scholarship Fund, which began at Centre in 1979 with a $1 million endowment, awards scholarships to Kentucky students based on academic excellence and financial need.

"The Brown Scholarships provide access and, often, social mobility for bright and aspiring young men and women from Kentucky, " says Richard Trollinger, Centre's vice president for college relations. "This generous grant helps Centre reaffirm our commitment to serving Kentucky and adds another chapter to the story of our partnership with the Brown Foundation in creating equality of opportunity in the Commonwealth."

During the current school year, 101 students have received Brown Scholarships, ranging from $4,500 to $13,000. Most are in the $9,000 to $11,000 range.

Centre is the most affordable institution among the top-50 national liberal arts colleges, but its endowment is significantly lower than the endowments of these peer colleges. To remain accessible to deserving students, the College's financial aid budget has more than doubled in the last 10 years to $10.9 million. Centre allocates ever-increasing amounts of its operating budget to financial aid: this year it is 25.9 percent. The rise will likely continue, increasing the resources needed to help financially needy students who seek an education at Centre.

The Brown Foundation has played a pivotal role in helping Centre fulfill its mission. Among the major areas that have benefited from the Foundation's support are the renovation of Old Centre and Sutcliffe Hall, the Jones Visual Arts Centre, endowed professorships in international relations and economics, the James Graham Brown Scholarship Program, and the Brown Scholars Recognition Program.

Centre's deep commitment to both excellence and access is reinforced by the $35 million goal for additional financial aid and scholarship endowment as the top funding priority of the $120 million Campaign for A More Perfect Centre. As of the beginning of December, Centre has raised $22.7 million toward the scholarship goal, but this category has the largest amount still needed to reach its goal of any of the Campaign funding priorities.

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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/

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