Bridgewater College receives $250,000 fundraising challenge from The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation

Bridgewater College has announced a two-to-one $250,000 challenge grant from The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation (MMPF) of Richmond, Va., to help fund the renovation of the Alexander Mack Memorial Library to create the John Kenny Forrer Learning Commons.

In order to obtain the grant, Bridgewater must raise $500,000 in cash and pledges by November 2018.

“The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation is honored to issue a challenge grant for this transformational project that will impact the entire Bridgewater College community,” said Amy P. Nisenson, executive director of MMPF. “Learning commons are the heart of any campus and we look forward to seeing students flourish in this dynamic learning hub.”

The Forrer Learning Commons will serve as an active learning space and focal point for engaged learning for Bridgewater’s academic community. The facility will house the librar’s collections and serve as a learning hub with media production, peer coaching and tutoring, writing center, career center, IT help desk, and research and information literacy support.

The facility will also hold multiple flexible study spaces for students, from small and large group meeting spaces to two engaged learning classrooms and a practice presentation room. The learning commons will also feature private study carrels, conversational gathering spaces and a café.

Groundbreaking for the Forrer Learning Commons will take place in May 2018.

“We are grateful to partner with the MMPF on this challenge grant, which provides critical momentum to the public phase of our learning commons campaign,” said Bridgewater College President Dr. David Bushman. “We’re confident that the challenge grant will not only help make the learning commons a reality, but will also enhance Bridgewater’s commitment to engaged learning.”

Established in 1988, the MMPF helps support a variety of philanthropic purposes, including education, the arts, historic preservation and fundamental community needs.

Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Founded in 1880, it was the state’s first private, coeducational college. Today, Bridgewater College is home to more than 1,900 undergraduate students.