The Bowman Hall renovation, which began at the end of the spring 2023 semester, will transform every classroom, office space and teaching lab. Modern classrooms will house flexible furnishings and upgraded technology to support a full range of teaching styles and engaged learning. Collaborative work will be facilitated with group study spaces and advising suites like the modern learning spaces in the Forrer Learning Commons. Renovated teaching labs will strengthen the undergraduate research experience. And advising suites that combine faculty offices with integrated study spaces will enhance one of the hallmarks of a Bridgewater education: deep connections among students and faculty that lead to long-term student success.
March 18, 2024
Bridgewater College Receives $250,000 Fundraising Challenge Grant from The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation
BRIDGEWATER, Va. – Bridgewater College has announced a one-to-one $250,000 challenge grant from The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation (MMPF) of Richmond, Va., to help fund a renovation of Bowman Hall, one of the College’s most important academic buildings.
In order to secure the grant, Bridgewater must raise $250,000 match in cash and pledges by November 2024.
“We are grateful to the MMPF for their support of this capital project, an important part of our ongoing efforts to create learning spaces across campus that better facilitate collaborations and connections between faculty and students,” said Meg Flory Riner, Bridgewater College Vice President for Institutional Advancement. “We are confident that the Bridgewater community will rise to the challenge to meet and exceed the matching grant requirements.”
Renovations to the historic Bowman Hall classroom building began in spring 2023 and will be completed this August. Bowman Hall is home to seven undergraduate programs, three graduate programs and four floors of classrooms and faculty offices. Nearly every student takes at least one class at Bowman Hall during their time at Bridgewater.
The $8.5 million Bowman Hall renovation is transforming the classroom and office spaces into dynamic hubs of learning and engagement. State-of-the-art classrooms feature upgraded technology including multiple flat screens, flexible furnishings and lab space. Faculty offices are being integrated into advising suites to facilitate mentoring and collaborative work.
This is the second grant that Bridgewater has received from MMPF. In 2018, the College successfully met a MMPF two-to-one challenge grant, earning $250,000 towards the reimagining of the College’s Mack Library into the John Kenny Forrer Learning Commons. The Forrer Learning Commons opened in 2020 and contains the library’s collections, flexible study spaces, meeting rooms and a café, as well as a learning hub with centers for writing, tutoring and career development.
“The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation is pleased to award this matching grant and partner with Bridgewater College on another critical project that will positively impact teaching and learning across the College,” said Amy P. Nisenson, Executive Director of MMPF.
ABOUT THE MARY MORTON PARSONS FOUNDATION
Established in 1988, the MMPF helps support a variety of philanthropic purposes, including education, the arts, historic preservation and fundamental community needs.
ABOUT BRIDGEWATER COLLEGE
Coeducational since its founding in 1880, Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Today, Bridgewater College is home to approximately 1,450 students. The College offers more than 60 undergraduate majors and minors and four graduate programs housed within three distinct schools.
347 days ago by Tammy Steele