A Remarkable Gift from the Davis Family
Dear Colby Community,
I write today to share a remarkable act of generosity that will transform Colby and the education we offer our talented students. The Davis family, through Colby Trustee Emeritus Andrew Davis ’85, LL.D.’15, has committed $25 million to create DavisConnects, a new initiative for connecting our liberal arts curriculum to the world. This program, when fully implemented over the next four years, will guarantee every Colby student the opportunity for funding to engage in a meaningful global experience.
DavisConnects, which will be housed in the newly expanded and renovated Grossman Hall, will become the central location for students to imagine and design a set of experiences tied to their academic work-experiences that will deepen their learning and enhance their postgraduate opportunities. Our goal, which is quickly becoming a reality, is for every student to have access to a facilitated set of internships, research, and global opportunities regardless of their financial means.
The program includes many initiatives to strengthen global education at Colby, the central recommendation of the faculty-led Global Colby Task Force that concluded its work in 2016. DavisConnects will provide need-based grants for global study, research, and internships; prestigious awards for funding to promote global leadership; and support for faculty to develop innovative classroom and research experiences with global reach. The annual Davis Summit on Global Engagement will showcase Colby’s global footprint and enhance the intellectual culture on campus. More about DavisConnects is online at colby.edu/davisconnects.
As many of you know, the Davis family transformed Colby, and American higher education more broadly, through the Davis United World College Scholars Program and Davis Projects for Peace. Both programs changed the life trajectory of countless students who came here to study and left prepared and committed to changing their communities for the better. Now the Davis family is bringing Colby to the world by providing all students with rigorous, meaningful global opportunities.
This gift is the latest of many expressions of support by Andrew Davis. His commitment to Colby has included serving as a trustee and College overseer. He has volunteered for Colby’s admissions office, sponsored student internships, and created a scholarship fund. And of course the Davis Science Center, which opened in 2014, bears the family name.
Andrew Davis will be on campus tomorrow to join us in a celebration of the launch of this unique, innovative program. I hope to see many of you for an introduction to DavisConnects and to hear from Andrew directly. We will convene in front of Eustis for brief remarks, music, and great food at 12:15 p.m., with festivities beginning at 11:30 a.m.
We are incredibly fortunate to have the Davis family among our closest friends and supporters. Their generosity will enable Colby students to make an even greater impact on the world.
David A. Greene