■ COVER STORY
Alumnae devote
money and talent to Sweet Briar’s revival
by Gary Robertson
“At Sweet Briar, The Impossible Is Just Another Problem To Solve”
— posted on a sign at Sweet Briar College P
hillip C. Stone was working at his Harrisonburg law office in March 2015 when he learned that Sweet Briar College, a 115-year-old women’s col- lege in Amherst County, planned to close because of what its administration and board described as “insurmountable financial challenges.”
He was shocked and saddened by the news. A firm
believer in the value of a liberal-arts education, Stone was president of Bridgewater College for 16 years before he retired in 2010. The prospect of Sweet Briar’s closure rang like a death knell for a family member. He also was surprised to hear Sweet Briar’s alumnae
were starting a movement to save the college. “I wouldn’t have given you a nickel for their chances at success,” he says. Nonetheless, a friend in higher education whom Stone
had known for years suggested that he could assist the alumnae in an advisory role. Stone agreed to help because, as a Virginian, he values the state’s great landmarks and the kind of education that young wo men receive at Sweet Briar. “I took seriously my offer to come and help. But I did think it was a long shot,” he says. The long shot, however, paid off. After a flurry of law-
suits, a hard-won settlement permitted the college to remain open, under a new board and a new president, Stone. The school’s financial position was bolstered by $12
million in cash donations raised by alumnae in over 100 days, with overall pledges totaling $28.5 million, to be paid over several years. Fundraisers had assured donors that, if they were not successful in getting the keys to the college, the donors would not have to fulfill their pledges. “To actually pull it off in litigation, with terms that
were favorable to them, was a shocker. To raise the money they raised, it was amazing,” Stone says of the alumnae. By the time he became president of the school in July
2015, many of Sweet Briar’s students already had left for other colleges, and every faculty and staff member had been terminated on June 30, except those absolutely necessary to effectuate the closing. Stone rehired everyone in a posting on the college’s website. Nearly a year later, he says, “I’ve never experienced
a more successful academic year in my life. Ours has been a remarkable journey of human exceptionalism and perseverance.”
Photo courtesy Sweet Briar College
www.VirginiaBusiness.com VIRGINIA BUSINESS 23
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
