Union College Receives $500,000 Grant
from James Graham Brown Foundation

The James Graham Brown Foundation of Louisville has pledged $500,000 to Union College for the school's new Sharp Academic Center.

The new Sharp Academic Center is an integral part of Union College's strategic vision. A careful combination of renovation and new construction, the facility retains the best and most historically important portion of Stevenson Hall, while replacing other sections with modern, flexible space.

"The Academic Center brings together, in a central location, our students, faculty and College leadership to more efficiently serve both undergraduate and graduate students," said Union College President Dr. David Joyce. "This, plus improved options for living on campus and the physical changes designed to increase effective service to students, represents Union's commitment to its new vision."

Located at the heart of campus, the Sharp Academic Center includes classrooms, teaching laboratories, seminar rooms, meeting spaces and faculty offices. The central focus of the new center is the atrium, which is designed to enhance community. Serviced by a coffee shop, students and faculty gather in this area to continue the interactions begun in the classroom.

The facility features 11 classrooms and seminar rooms, several of which are equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Faculty will also have access to a portable teaching console, equipped with a projector, VCR, and computer. The Academic Center also provides a home for the county's CenterNet site, part of Kentucky's program to offer distance learning and video-conferencing capabilities to participating counties throughout the state. The network features bother Internet services and high quality video-conferencing, which allows individuals to communicate across long distances with both video and audio contact.

"We are delighted that the James Graham Brown Foundation has shown their support for Union's mission through this generous commitment," Joyce stated. "Their pledge recognizes the importance of our dedication to the Appalachian region, our entrepreneurial spirit, and our Christian heritage. The partnership formed over the years between Union and the Foundation has certainly had a positive impact on higher education, the quality of life and the overall image of Kentucky."

In recent years, the James Graham Brown Foundation has participated in many projects on Union's campus, helping renovate dormitories, strengthen technology and provide student scholarships.

The James Graham Brown Foundation, Inc. was established under a trust agreement in 1943 and formally incorporated in 1954. James Graham Brown was a lumberman, horseman, and entrepreneur with the majority of his wealth being made in the timber industry. He died in 1969 with no heirs leaving the bulk of his estate to the Foundation.

The mission of the James Graham Brown Foundation is to foster the well-being, quality of life and image of Louisville and Kentucky, by actively supporting and funding projects in the fields of civic affairs, economic development, education, and health and general welfare.

Union College is a learning community dedicated to creating personal, intellectual, and social transformation through the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, service, and spiritual growth.

December 10, 2000

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