The University of Lynchburg raised more than $6.5 million in Fiscal Year 2024, according to the institution’s Office of Advancement. The total can be attributed to 2,935 donors. Of these, 2,363 were individuals and 703 were first-time donors to the University. Alumni accounted for 1,319 of the total donors.
“Thank you to all of our alumni and friends for their ongoing generosity in supporting current and future young Hornets,” said Shawn Wood, Lynchburg’s assistant vice president for development. “Your gifts truly make an incredible difference.”
Several donor-funded endowments were created in 2023-24. The Rhoda Whitacre Kriz ’58 Endowed Scholarship, established by Dr. George J. Kriz, supports undergraduate students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
The Men’s Lacrosse Endowed Fund was established with lead gifts from Andrew McKenna ’99 and the McKenna Family Foundation, along with more than 170 other alumni and supporters.
The Arrington Family Endowed Scholarship, established with a $100,000 pledge from Betty Hawkins Arrington ’64, supports students with academic promise and financial need.
Another endowed fund, the Dr. Dorothy Akubue-Brice – Tribute to Black Faculty Scholarship, was created in memory of Dr. Dorothy Akubue-Brice, a professor emerita of history at Lynchburg.
Non-endowed funds created in FY24 include the Afghan Student Education Fund, International Student Support Fund, and Richard C. Burke Study Abroad Fund for Westover Fellows. The Burke fund, named for a longtime English professor, enables honors students to study abroad.
Steve Crank ’73, ’74 MBA, a member of Lynchburg’s board of trustees, and Connie Hayes Crank gave $100,000 to create the Susan Hornsby Crank ’74 Plaza at the University’s Daura Museum of Art.
Several large planned gifts were received, including a $400,000 gift from the late Hugh Scrogham ’66, ’69 MEd that supports two scholarships.
The University also received the final distribution from the estate of Dr. Robert Richardson Bowen and Mrs. Rebecca Dillard Peebles Bowen. Their gift is funding renovations — currently underway — to the McMillan Nursing Building.
The estate of Anna Belle Griffin Kelly ’53 left more than $650,000 to the University’s Griffin Scholarship Fund. Kelly, a retired teacher with the Norfolk Public Schools and Norfolk Collegiate, established the fund in 2001.
The estate of Bennie Hildebrand ’59 and his wife, Gloria, left the University $600,000, half of which was received by the Office of Advancement in December 2023. The remaining $300,000 is expected in January 2025.
In April, the University’s annual GiveDay provided a bump to the annual giving total, raising more than $270,000 from 1,150 individual donors — 20% of whom were first-time donors to the University.
The FY24 giving total also included grants. One of the largest — about $1,489,000 — came from the Virginia Department of Education for Lynchburg’s Summer Residential Governor’s School for Mathematics, Science, and Technology.
The program, which recently wrapped up for the summer, provides gifted high school juniors and seniors with intensive educational experiences in mathematics, science, and technology.
“Through The Lynchburg Fund, endowed scholarships, programmatic support, and various capital projects, you are truly changing lives,” Wood said. “As we move into the next academic year, we encourage you to keep engaging with the University, not only through financial gifts but also by your involvement in admissions and mentorship activities.”
Give today to make a difference in the life of a Lynchburg student, program, or initiative. For more information on how to make a gift to the University, please contact Wood at wood_sp@lynchburg.edu or 434.544.8450.
Note: The Office of Financial Aid awards funds and scholarships based on fund criteria. You do not need to apply separately for scholarships when applying for admission to the University of Lynchburg.
