Centre three-peats in "Battle of the Bumpers"

DANVILLE, KY—For the third straight year, students, alumni and friends of Centre College lead Kentucky in "putting their pride on their (license) plates."

Each year the Commonwealth's nonprofit, independent colleges and universities extend their friendly rivalries to the highways as campuses compete to see whose supporters can generate the most money for student scholarships through sales of campus-branded  "Independent Higher Education" Kentucky specialty license plates. The competition, overseen by AIKCU, the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges & Universities, returns $10 from the sale of each plate to the named campus's general scholarship fund.

Once again, Centre came out the winner, edging out Transylvania University to take their third consecutive title. Georgetown College finished third.

"I'm delighted with the news of Centre's victory in this very friendly rivalry," says Anita Britton '76, president of Centre's national alumni association. "Of course, Centre alumni are legendary for our loyalty to our alma mater. I'm sure we lead Kentucky's private colleges in license plate sales for the same reason we regularly lead the nation's colleges in the percentage of alumni making annual gifts. We're grateful for the education we received and we want to help make it possible for others to have the same experience."

"The support our alumni continue to demonstrate for Centre is inspiring," adds Shawn Lyons '81, Associate Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs. "Whether that support is measured by the number of alumni buying license plates, the percentage making contributions to the College or their assistance in recruiting outstanding students, Centre alumni can be counted on to do amazing things."

The 2006 license plate competition began on January 1, but friends of Centre have plenty of time to purchase or renew plates for the 2006 "Battle of the Bumpers."

Overall, AIKCU reports that sales of the plates rose 8.6 percent in 2005, with 3,085 campus license plates issued or renewed in 2005 compared to a total of 2,841 in 2004. Those 3,085 independent higher education license plates on the road translated into $30,850 in student scholarship funds.

Plates sporting the logos of all 20 of Kentucky’s nonprofit, independent colleges and universities are available for purchase at County Clerks’ offices throughout Kentucky. Each plate carries the phrase “Independent Higher Education” and a decal and slogan selected by the member campus. Plates cost $38 on initial issue and carry a $25 renewal fee. The campus general scholarship fund receives $10 for each plate issued or renewed.

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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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