Greensboro College Announces $10 Million Dollar Planned Scholarship Gift

by Matthew Johnson

Greensboro, NC (09/25/2023) — At Greensboro College's Alumni Homecoming celebration this weekend, President Lawrence D. Czarda, Ph.D., announced on Saturday, September 23, 2023, a $10 million commitment from an alumna trustee celebrating her 50th Reunion with the Class of 1973.

Lynn Lewis Lane, Class of 1973, and her husband Pat Lane, have increased their planned estate gift to $10 million to enhance the Lane Scholars Endowment that they began funding in 2015 to provide a full tuition merit scholarship to a high-achieving student who also shows promise to be a campus leader.

The Lanes began making outright gifts of one full-tuition merit scholarship each year as they concurrently gave major gifts designated to build the Lane Endowment Fund, which now generates enough annual earnings to fund full tuition for a Lane Scholar.

The first six years of Lane Scholars have distinguished themselves: one graduate is a published author, another is a talented performer and educator, and the current Lane Scholar is a top student scholar and USA South scholar-athlete.

The Lanes' estate plan originally designated $3.5 million to be added to the Lane Scholarship endowment, the earnings from which would provide about 5 full-tuition scholarships. But, as the value of their eventual estate increased, they decided to remain focused on higher education and increase their commitment to two institutions rather than add other beneficiaries.

"As a trustee of GC during COVID, I watched and appreciated firsthand how GC adapted to expand learning options for our students," Mrs. Lane said. "Pat and I decided to more than double our commitment to GC and impact more students who will benefit from the small learning community here at GC."

"Lynn and Pat Lane's $10 million planned estate gift will eventually grow the Lane Scholars Program to rival that of many small college programs, providing full-tuition scholarships for 10 to 14 top students from our state and beyond," said Dr. Czarda. "We are overwhelmed by this historic commitment to Lynn's alma mater."

The Lanes plan to expand the program in other ways as well, offering an additional $5,000 per student for experiential learning such as a semester study abroad, or covering expenses or travel for a semester

or summer internship. As the numbers of Lane Scholars grow, they will be encouraged to mentor each other as well as the greater GC community as student leaders on campus.

The Lanes acknowledge that there is some hesitancy involved for them in announcements of their extraordinary support for education. East Carolina University in May announced a $30 million commitment from the Lanes and another couple for whom the East Carolina Scholars program will now be known as the Brinkley-Lane Scholars program.

"We hope that allowing some publicity about this will inspire others to think about what they can do for Greensboro College," Mrs. Lane said.

Lynn Lewis Lane graduated in 1973 from GC with a BA in Economics, Business Administration and Sociology. She went on to receive a BS in Accounting from Guilford College. Lynn's career in finance spanned over 33 years and she retired in 2004 from Reynolds American as Senior Vice President and Treasurer. She spent three years as the Vice President and Treasurer of Burlington Industries in the late 1990s.

She has served on the Board of Directors of a bank, a fine jewelry company and charitable foundations, while an active volunteer at her alma mater Greensboro College. She is currently Chair of the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees at Greensboro College and is a founding member of the Women in Philanthropy and Leadership Fund.

Lynn and her husband, Pat, a retired CPA, who also taught at GC, have served in numerous volunteer roles at ECU, located near their home. Lynn is an Emerita member and former Chair of the ECU Foundation Board and is currently Chair of the Advancement Council for the Honors College. Pat has served on various academic advisory and athletic boards. Together, they have traveled extensively in Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Europe.

Greensboro College provides a liberal arts education grounded in the traditions of the United Methodist Church and fosters the intellectual, social, and spiritual development of all students while supporting their individual needs.

Founded in 1838 and located in downtown Greensboro, the college enrolls about 1,000 students from 29 states and territories, the District of Columbia, and seven foreign countries in its undergraduate liberal arts program and six master's degree programs. In addition to rigorous academics and a well-supported Honors program, the school features a 17-sport NCAA Division III athletic program and dozens of service and recreational opportunities. Learn more at greensboro.edu.

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