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CIC PRESIDENTS PRESENT TOP 2003 ANNUAL AWARDS

WASHINGTON, D. C. – The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) today announced the three winners in 2003 of its top annual awards.

The daily newspaper, USA Today, represented by retired Executive Editor Robert Dubill, was selected to receive CIC's Allen P. Splete Award for Outstanding Service, while philanthropist Elizabeth Perkins Prothro of Virginia and the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, represented by President Sherry Magill, have earned CIC's Awards for Philanthropy. The awards were presented at CIC's Awards Banquet during the annual Presidents Institute, held in Naples, FL, on Monday, January 6.

The Allen P. Splete Award for Outstanding Service is given to an individual, publication, or organization for significant contributions to independent higher education. The award recognizes national leadership, through ideas and commitment, on behalf of private colleges and universities. The award was named in honor of the retired president of CIC, who served from 1985 to 2000.

USA Today, the nation’s largest-selling daily newspaper with a circulation of approximately 2.3 million, has demonstrated a sustained commitment since its inception in 1982 to in-depth coverage of higher education.

"More than other national media organizations, USA Today has highlighted private colleges and universities in its news coverage," said CIC President Richard Ekman. Under the leadership of John Curley, who was appointed editor in 1982 and retired as CEO in 2000, and Tom Curley, who is the current president and publisher, USA Today “continues to elevate the entire enterprise of higher education through outstanding reporting,” Ekman said, adding that USA Today has pioneered the “Excellence in Education” awards, supported the Professors of the Year program, and established the Academic All-American Scholars program, among others. Robert Dubill, Executive Editor (retired), accepted the award on behalf of the newspaper.

The Award for Philanthropy, presented to Elizabeth Perkins Prothro, celebrates individuals who contribute volunteer service or financial support to independent colleges and universities. It honors those individuals who, by their example, provide a beacon for others to follow.

“The Protho family’s gifts have helped to institute important educational programs and build critical facilities, including campus centers, libraries, and research and medical centers,” said CIC President Ekman. “Their service on various higher education related boards and commissions have contributed to the vigor of private colleges and universities.”

Prothro has been a major donor to several independent colleges, including Sweet Briar College (VA) and Southwestern University (TX). A 1939 graduate of Sweet Briar College, Prothro was the first of four generations of Prothro women to attend the College. She was the founding chairman of Sweet Briar’s Friends of the Library in 1966, building a library that now boasts the largest collection of any Virginia undergraduate private college. Her late husband Charles was former chairman of Sweet Briar’s board of directors. The latest gift, designated for the new Campus Center, is a $5 million grant from the Perkins-Prothro Foundation, the foundation’s second largest grant to any institution. Prothro and her family also contributed funding for Southwestern University’s Lois Perkins chapel, the Red and Charline McCombs Campus Center, and the Cody Memorial Library. In addition, the Prothros and their foundation have contributed more than $26.3 million to Southern Methodist University and the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, as well as helping to building and equip the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

The other winner of the Award for Philanthropy, which celebrates a foundation or corporation that has demonstrated leadership and vision in improving higher education, is the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. Many CIC members institutions have been recipients of grants from the Fund, including several Virginia colleges and universities—Bluefield College, Bridgewater College, Ferrum College, Hollins University, Lynchburg College, Randolph-Macon College, and Sweet Briar College—as well as Rollins College (FL), Berea College (KY), Bethune-Cookman College (FL), Elmira College (NY), Stephens College (MO, Wesley College (DE), and McDaniel College (MD).

"We have enormous regard for this exceptional foundation," Ekman said. The Jessie Ball duPont Fund’s contributions have been designed for a broad range of projects and programs in higher education, including helping institutions to develop technological proficiency, new programs for their faculties, model classrooms, and partnerships with local communities, as well as for presidents’ discretionary funds, nursing curricula, summer seminars, and governance projects.

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The Council of Independent Colleges is an association of more than 500 independent, liberal arts colleges and universities and higher education affiliates and organizations that work together to strengthen college and university leadership, sustain high-quality education, and enhance private higher education’s contributions to society. To fulfill this mission, CIC provides its members with skills, tools, and knowledge that address aspects of leadership, financial management and performance, academic quality, and institutional visibility.

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