From left, Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan and City Council member Charlie Hensley accept the Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy from Roane State President Gary Goff. (Photo submitted by RSCC)
The Oak Ridge and Anderson County governments recently received state philanthropy awards for their support of an expansion of the local Roane State Community College branch campus.
Both governments contributed $500,000 to a new Health Sciences and Technology Building at the college’s Oak Ridge campus. Roane State said those contributions were key to reaching a $2.5 million fundraising goal.
Recognizing those contributions, Roane State President Gary Goff recently presented Oak Ridge and Anderson County officials with Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Philanthropy.
“The firm commitment by Anderson County and Oak Ridge leaders to the expansion will strengthen economic development in the region and give citizens exciting educational opportunities that lead to fulfilling careers,” Goff said in a press release. “The college is grateful for their support and pleased to present them with this well-deserved honor.”
By raising $2.5 million, Roane State received matching state funds of $9 million, the maximum available to a community college, the release said. Roane State was one of only five community colleges to receive the maximum match.
Goff, left, presents the Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy to Chuck Fritts, Anderson County Commission chairman. (Photo submitted by RSCC courtesy of The Clinton Courier News)
The release said the three-story, 64,000-square-foot building Health Sciences and Technology Building will give Roane State more space for academic programming, workforce training, and community use. The building is expected to be complete in January 2014.
Each year, TBR member institutions submit nominees for the Excellence in Philanthropy award, which is given to those who give special help to a TBR institution and whose financial support and leadership offer significant aid to the school.
The TBR is the nation’s sixth-largest higher education system, governing 46 post-secondary educational institutions. The TBR system includes six universities, 13 two-year colleges (including Roane State), and 27 technology centers, providing programs in 90 of Tennessee’s 95 counties to more than 200,000 students.
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