- Students will also benefit from scholarship support and Dominion Energy Scholars paid summer internships program
- Dominion Energy has committed $25 million to be shared by 11 HBCUs
Students at Benedict College will benefit from upgraded equipment in their classrooms and research labs thanks to a $3.5 million gift from Dominion Energy.
Benedict College is one of 11 historically black colleges and universities benefitting from Dominion Energy’s six-year “HBCU Promise.” The program will support endowments, capital projects, operating expenses, and educational programs in clean energy at HBCUs in Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
“Benedict College is immensely grateful to Dominion Energy for its leadership, generosity, and commitment to HBCUs, said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President and CEO of Benedict College. Their long-term investment is providing the college with essential resources to ensure our students access to the most innovative technology that will help prepare them to become leaders in the area of science, technology, engineering, math, and business.”
The gift to Benedict College is among the largest received at the institution and will be used to upgrade equipment and hands-on training for students in the STEM programs and will enhance the college’s research capabilities. A Dominion Energy Scholars Program, both annual and endowed, will also be established to provide up to 15 students with scholarships and paid summer internships. Additionally, the college will be able to use a portion of the funding to relieve some of the operational strain that has been caused by the influx of non-traditional expenses associated with functioning during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Dominion Energy is committed to helping achieve educational equity through our ongoing support of historically black colleges and universities,” said Rodney Blevins, president of Dominion Energy South Carolina. “We recognize the importance of investing long term in these students and their schools, which are an important source of talent that we need to help develop and retain in South Carolina. Dominion Energy is honored to support institutions of higher learning and students who are striving for excellence.”
Dominion Energy also has committed $10 million in scholarships to assist African-American and other underrepresented minority students who reside in the company’s service area. Students can learn more and apply at DominionEnergy.com/EquityScholarships.
About Benedict College
Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution, offering 25 competitive baccalaureate degree programs. The Midlands HBCU welcomes students from all 46 counties in South Carolina, 30 states across America, and 26 countries around the world.
Benedict offers several high-demand fields of study in STEM, Cyber Security, Mass Communication, Sport Management, Business Administration, Engineering, Computer Science, Biology, and Education. The College also has a diverse faculty and importantly, 80 percent of courses are taught by full-time faculty.
Over the past ten years, three out of five Benedict College graduates have attended professional or graduate schools. There are over 18,000 proud Benedict Tigers throughout the nation. Benedict College has been a community leader for over 150-years and is a significant contributor to South Carolina and the region. Contributing $130 million and 1,218 jobs in total local and annual economic impact, a Benedict graduate working full-time throughout his or her working life can expect to earn $1.1 million in additional income because of their Benedict College degree.
The College made front-page news in the spring of 2018 when it became the first South Carolina college to lower its tuition by 26 percent. Cutting tuition drew praise from the Commission on Higher Education, South Carolina’s education oversight body. The commissioner noted that the move Benedict College made should be applauded because it offers families affordability and students greater access to higher education.
Benedict College has been highly regarded and exceptionally ranked for its programs by several academic and traditional publications. For example, Benedict College was ranked as one of the top baccalaureate colleges in the nation by Washington Monthly magazine for creating social mobility and producing cutting-edge scholarship and research. In 2019, Benedict College received the 2019 ACE/ Fidelity Investments Awards for Institutional Transformation and was named the HBCU of the Year by HBCU Digest.
Benedict College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and masters degrees. Five of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: The School of Education, Social Work, Environmental Health Science, Arts and Sciences and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
About Dominion Energy
More than 7 million customers in 16 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D), headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to sustainable, reliable, affordable and safe energy and to achieving net zero carbon dioxide and methane emissions from its power generation and gas infrastructure operations by 2050. Please visit DominionEnergy.com to learn more.
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Contact:
Kymm Hunter, Assistant Vice President
Kymm.Hunter@Benedict.edu or 803.705.4519
Ashley Cunningham, Public Affairs Specialist
Ashely.Cunningham@Dominionenergy.com or 803.217.9501
