College of St. Benedict receives $10 million gift

An anonymous donor has committed a $10 million gift to the College of St. Benedict to create the Center for Ethical Leadership in Action, the school announced Jan. 12

It’s the largest single gift in the college’s history.

A key function of the center will be to increase students’ opportunities for experiential learning, which include study abroad opportunities, undergraduate research, service learning, fellowships and internship experiences, according to a press release about the donation.

The gift will create a permanent endowment fund, which will fund the operations of the center, including the support of experiential learning as well as a mentoring program and speaker series. Internships and other experiential learning opportunities will be designed to support the formation of ethical women leaders in a variety of fields, including business, medicine and education, the school said.

“We are grateful for the donors whose vision and generosity have created the center,” said CSB President Mary Dana Hinton. “It positions us as a leader among liberal arts colleges nationally in developing women’s leadership capacity, ethical decision-making, self-confidence and career readiness.”

The establishment of the Center for Ethical Leadership in Action is especially important as increasing numbers of CSB students do not have the financial resources to opt for an unpaid internship or other types of experiential learning, the school said. CSB and St. John’s University require that every student complete four credits of experiential learning as part of the core curriculum. The college plans to begin awarding stipends as early as summer 2017.

In addition to supporting internships and other experiential learning opportunities, the center will create a mentoring program and host speakers designed to promote the development of ethical leaders, the school noted.

Author: The Visitor

The Visitor is the official newpaper for the Diocese of Saint Cloud.

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