Published: August 15, 2008 05:00 pm            

Central College receives $100K from Carver Trust

Central College received a gift from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust in the amount of $100,000, which is designated for the new education and psychology building on campus.

The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust is the largest private philanthropic foundation in Iowa with assets of more than $340 million and annual grant distributions of over $16 million. It was created through the will of Roy J. Carver, a Muscatine industrialist and philanthropist, who died in 1981.

The money will be targeted toward the community-based learning office suite. The funds from the trust will support the construction and equipping of the suite of four offices and a conference room.

The office of community-based learning oversees the academic program, which connects 250 students each semester with community organizations in Central Iowa and works with faculty to identify ways that course learning can be complemented with community experiences. The office also creates and sustains community partnerships that foster collaborative learning and civic participation. More than 25 courses at Central include a service-learning component.

Central’s community-based learning program has won numerous awards and recognition. In 2006 and 2007, Central College was named to The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for distinguished general community service in recognition of extraordinary volunteer efforts by the school and its students to serve area neighborhoods and communities. Central was one of 58 college and universities in the nation to be highlighted in the inaugural edition of the Guide to Service-Learning College and Universities, in recognition of our strong service-learning programs. In 2003, Central was named “Outstanding Educational Organization of Iowa” by the Iowa Division of Latino Affairs.

Central College has received past support from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust toward Central’s science program and Geisler Library. The equipment purchased with prior grant money has been used extensively by Central students and has made graduates competitive in the workplace and provided students with important tools to succeed in graduate school.

The new education and psychology building will follow Central’s commitment to following Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines for all new campus construction. The college is striving to receive a platinum LEED rating for the new building.

        

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