A $7.5 million gift will help provide a new opportunity for Earlham College students that campus officials say is virtually unmatched in American higher education.
All Earlham students will be guaranteed either a paid internship or a research experience with faculty before graduation, starting in the fall. The program will begin this summer by funding 75 research and internship opportunities.
The donation is the largest alumni gift in the college's history and the largest single gift that Earlham has received since Eli Lilly’s “Magnificent Gift” of $25 million in 1973.
The initiative, called The EPIC Advantage, was announced Monday afternoon. It's powered by a leadership gift from Alan and Peg Kral Scantland of Columbus, Ohio, who both graduated from the Richmond liberal arts school in 1974.
Beginning in the fall, students will be invited to work with their advisers to find internships or collaborative research opportunities that match their talents and aspirations, Earlham President David Dawson said during a news conference.
"This new initiative will deliver what every student at a top liberal arts college needs — the opportunity to put theory into practice, to put critical thinking, analytical and writing skills to good use, and to explore possible career paths before graduation," Dawson said. "Combined with the other features of an Earlham education, The EPIC Advantage is a guaranteed opportunity no other school in the country can offer."