Centre wins "Battle of the Bumpers" for fourth straight year

RELEASED: April 12, 2007

DANVILLE, KY—For the fourth 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 the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities (AIKCU), returns $10 from the sale of each plate to the named campus's general scholarship fund.

"The support shown for Centre is inspiring," says 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 2007 license plate competition began on January 1, but friends of Centre have plenty of time to purchase or renew plates for the 2007 "Battle of the Bumpers."

Overall, AIKCU reports that sales of the plates rose in 2006, with 3,299 campus license plates issued or renewed in 2006, compared to a total of 3,085 in 2005. Those 3,299 independent higher education license plates on the road translated into $129,140 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 $44 on initial issue and carry a $31 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.