RELEASED: October 16, 2008

DANVILLE, KY—As part of the upcoming Homecoming 2008 festivities, a special ceremony will mark the designation of the quadrangle bordered by Old Centre, Wiseman Hall, Boles Hall and Maple Avenue as Benefactors Plaza. The event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 10:30 a.m.

Included in the Plaza will be the names of all members of Centre's newest donor recognition organization, the Lifetime Giving Society. The Lifetime Giving Society was established by the Board of Trustees in January 2008 to recognize individuals and organizations whose total gifts to the College, whether during their lifetimes or through their estate plans, are equal to or greater than $100,000. There are five levels of the Lifetime Giving Society, beginning at $100,000 and progressing to donors of $10,000,000 or more. The names of donors are engraved in granite blocks throughout the Plaza.

A new fountain depicting the Three Graces of Greek and Roman mythology is at the center of the Plaza. The Three Graces represent the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome of Greek mythology, and they are said to represent the aspects of the spirit of giving—gracefulness, peace and happiness.
 
Says Shawn Lyons '81, associate vice president for development and alumni affairs, "Our hope is not only to honor those donors whose gifts have helped transform lives since 1819, but also to remind those of us who work and study here every day of the central role giving has played in the Centre story, and perhaps to inspire a new generation of great philanthropists."

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. 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.