BrickStreet Foundation Donates $1.75 million to West Virginia State University

11/9/2015

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Contact: Kimberly Osborne
(304) 766-3363
kosborne@wvstateu.edu
   
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – Up to 30 West Virginia State University (WVSU) students will receive scholarship support each year due to a $1.75 million dollar gift from The BrickStreet Foundation to the West Virginia State University Foundation.

This transformational gift was announced today by WVSU President Brian O. Hemphill and Greg Burton, Chief Executive Officer of BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Company, alongside WVSU Foundation leaders.

The donation will be used to permanently endow the BrickStreet Scholars program, in addition to supporting other student-centered needs.

“Three years ago, when I first arrived at State, Greg Burton and BrickStreet leaders recognized the potential of our great University,” said President Hemphill. “With this gift, BrickStreet is helping us achieve our potential, make our great success a reality and, most importantly, change students’ lives for generations of Yellow Jackets to come. I am truly grateful to have such a dedicated and generous community partner.”

The donation will expand and permanently endow the BrickStreet Scholars Fund, which was established in 2013. The first scholarships from the endowed fund will be awarded in fall 2016. Students in any area of academic study will be eligible; however, preference will be given to students in business, information technology, mathematics, natural sciences, health sciences, safety or loss, or insurance fields. 
           
“With this endowment, we are able to help a number of students fulfill their dreams of attending and graduating from college,” said Burton. “A portion of the scholarship will be used for students from West Virginia who are from families of a parent who received a permanent total disability award or unfortunately died from a work place injury. Helping families of injured workers in West Virginia is something our board feels very strongly about, and we want to give back to the communities in which we live and work. This is a fundamental part of our core values at BrickStreet.”

BrickStreet will be involved in the selection process through a Scholarship Committee, comprised of BrickStreet employees, as well as representatives of WVSU.

In addition to the support of the student scholarship program, part of the BrickStreet Foundation’s donation will provide funding for student-centered initiatives such as the Gregory V. Monroe Athletic Complex, located in the end zone of Lakin Field at Dickerson Stadium.

The complex provides expanded facilities for the University’s academic and athletic programs, support for athletic training and conditioning for all student-athletes. The 15,691-square-foot facility houses the BrickStreet Strength Center with state-of-the-art weight training equipment.

BrickStreet’s donation comes as part of the University’s ongoing Campaign for West Virginia State University, “Realize the Promise, Deliver the Future.” The Campaign goal is to raise $18 million by 2017. With the BrickStreet Foundation donation, the campaign has raised more than $16.8 million to date.

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West Virginia State University is a public, land grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi-generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service, and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.