Flathead Valley Community College announced Tuesday that an anonymous donor has bestowed the school with a $2.5 million gift to help build a new College Center on campus, bringing to $14.8 million the total amount the school has raised to fulfill its $18 million campaign goal.
The anonymous gift was made to recognize the life and legacy of FVCC founder Bill McClaren, who dedicated much of his life in service to the college and its students, according to a press release. The College Center is part of FVCC’s recent ONE Campaign, a privately funded philanthropic effort to better serve students and the community with the addition of new spaces for learning, creativity and innovation.
“We are extremely grateful to this donor and for the impact this generous gift will have on our students and in our community long into the future,” FVCC President Jane Karas said.
The 50,000-square-foot College Center will include a large performance and lecture hall, a multi-purpose activity complex with two full basketball courts, an outdoor amphitheater, and a reception hall with an exhibition gallery. The performance hall will serve as the home of the Glacier Symphony. Construction of the College Center will begin in the spring of 2019 with plans to open the facility in the fall of 2020.
“The Glacier Symphony is humbled by the generosity of individuals in our community who are making the completion of this project possible,” Glacier Symphony Music Director John Zoltek said. “Having a home of our own will allow the symphony to expand our programming and provide extensive musical experiences for the Flathead Valley, above and beyond what we have done for the past 36 years.”
In addition to the College Center, the ONE Campaign includes the construction of a new Library and Learning Commons adjacent to the existing Rebecca Chaney Broussard Center for Nursing and Health Science. FVCC broke ground on the Library and Learning Commons this summer with plans to open the facility in the spring of 2019.
The $2.5 million anonymous gift is the latest in a series of large gifts pledged to the ONE Campaign from families and individuals who are connected to FVCC and the community, including $2.5 million from the Broussard family, $4 million from Paul Wachholz and $2 million from Al and Lisa Stinson.
For more information about the ONE Campaign or to make a charitable gift in support of the campaign, visit www.fvcc.edu/one or contact FVCC Foundation Executive Director Colleen Unterreiner at (406)756-3914 or [email protected].