Murray State receives million dollar gift
BB&T Foundation has made a $1 million commitment to Murray State University. The gift, payable over 10 years, will fund the BB&T Center for Free Enterprise and Organizational Democracy in the college of business and public affairs.
“We believe there needs to be a deeper understanding of the morality of capitalism and its causal relationship to economic well-being,” said BB&T Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John A. Allison. “Our contribution will help Murray State University provide students a hands-on perspective on capitalism and free markets, a better understanding of our economy and an enhanced ability to make meaningful contributions to the world.”
A unique feature of this gift is its support of faculty fellowships in the departments of journalism and mass communications and organizational communication, as well as in the department of economics and finance. According to Dr. Tim Todd, dean of the college of business and public affairs at Murray State, “Engaging students in these three departments will put the discussion of capitalism and other economic systems on the radar for future journalists and those professionals that facilitate collaboration in organizations of all types and sizes. It broadens the discussion in valuable ways to include the thoughts and insights of individuals who ordinarily don’t address these issues in their undergraduate studies.”
The gift is the culmination of the efforts of a number of alumni and friends of Murray State, including alumni Shawn Reynolds, vice president of sales and service leader with BB&T of Hopkinsville, and Heidi Shultz, BB&T city executive of Murray, and Kentucky State Representative Tommy Thompson, a member of the BB&T board of directors.
The college of business and public affairs will host a formal reception on the Murray State campus to celebrate the award of the BB&T gift in early 2009.
BB&T Corporation, headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C., is the nation’s 14th largest financial institution, operating approximately 1,500 financial centers in the southeast and mid-Atlantic states. More information is available online at www.BBT.com.
Murray State University, located in Murray, Ky., is a nationally recognized residential comprehensive university. With an enrollment of approximately 10,000 students, it offers high-quality baccalaureate and master’s degree programs in the areas of arts and sciences, agriculture, business, health and human services, teacher education, communications, engineering and applied technologies. Teaching, research and service excellence are core values and guiding principles that promote economic development and the well being of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the four-state region it serves.
