Wabash College announced a $15 million gift that will be used to continue the work of the Stephenson Institute for Classical Liberalism.
The gift comes from alumnus Richard Stephenson and his family, who also provided the initial $10.6 million gift to launch the institute in October 2021.
The college said in a news release that the gift will build on an already successful record of programming that “produces scholarship and coordinates educational and research programming in the intellectual tradition of classical liberalism.”
The institute provides public presentations, workshops, visiting scholars-in-residence, internships and summer programming for students to “study critical ideas at the intersection of the liberal arts and classical liberalism,” according to the college.
“We have fast solidified the Institute and Wabash as a major opportunity hub for classical liberal intellectual pursuits at the undergraduate level,” Daniel D’Amico, director of the institute, said in the release. “The Stephensons’ extraordinary generosity will help the Institute be recognized as the premier undergraduate-focused institute of its kind in the nation, if not the world.”
The college said the institute will use the new funding to expand existing student-focused programs, including guest lectures, scholarly residencies, student internships and summer seminars.
Wabash said longtime faculty Lorraine McCrary and V. Daniel Rogers and Professor Scott are named Stephenson Fellows.