Connecticut College was amped up on Tuesday afternoon for the big, exciting news that was promised by President Katherine Bergeron. Filled with free Ben and Jerry’s and cupcakes, the student body gathered on the green in front of Shain Library to hear just what it was that was so exciting.
The students were not disappointed when the president announced that Conn had received its biggest donation in the College’s history: 20 million dollars! Thanks to the extreme generosity of Connecticut College alum and owner of Granite Telecommunications Robert Hale (Class of ’88) and his wife Karen Hale, the College will be able to make some fantastic improvements that will greatly benefit the students.
President Bergeron explained during the big announcement that the donation would be used to improve the College in three key areas. First and foremost, 10 million of the 20 million dollars will be used to help improve the College’s financial aid, so that Conn can meet 100% of the demonstrated financial need of students. Another part of this will be the introduction of the Hale Scholars Program to ensure that the talented young minds that wish to come to Connecticut College are not hindered by financial disparities. Secondly, 5 million dollars of the donation will be used to further enhance the College’s career services. The College believes that it is important to ensure that the students have the resources they need to find a career that they want after graduating from Conn. Conn already has a nationally recognized career program in its CELS Office, but this money will help to make it even better. Last but not least, the final 5 million dollars of the donation will be used to improve athletics on campus. Athletics are an important part of Conn and of college life in general that helps keep the students active, promotes teamwork, and teaches valuable life skills. The money will therefore be used to help improve the athletic facilities available to the students of Conn.
It will be exciting to see how much good this amazing donation can do for the future of Connecticut College. Thank you Robert and Karen Hale for helping make Conn an even better institution than it already is!