NORTHFIELD, Vt., Jan. 22, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Norwich University officials announced that the three-year fundraising initiative, "Bearing the Torch," exceeded the $20.2 million goal and raised over $24 million.
"Bearing the Torch" concluded at the end of 2012 and is the fifth fundraising campaign in a row that has exceeded its goal since "Norwich 2000" was launched in 1984.
"I cannot thank our donors enough," said President Richard W. Schneider. "On top of exceeding our goal overall, we raised six times what we anticipated for scholarships, which shows me that our supporters really believe in the Norwich experience – the Partridge model of American Education – and that they want to ensure Norwich is vibrant for future generations."
The campaign largely supports an endowment for student scholarships. Funds raised also support campus infrastructure, including the building of the Shaw Outdoor Center and the renovation of Sabine Field, both facilities which not only enhance student experience but also provide resources to the Northfield community and to the public at large.
"Campus life just got that much better, thanks to the new trails and facilities on the old ski hill," Schneider said of the Shaw Outdoor Center. "And with the renovation of Sabine Field the facility will be exponentially more useful to a wider range of groups."
The Shaw Outdoor Center boasts 10 acres (of a 690-acre plot) of non-motorized recreation trails used for mountain biking, hiking, skiing, and snowshoeing, and training facilities. Sabine Field is currently in process of renovations that will include a year-round turf that can be plowed, which will extend its usability significantly.
"Because of the generosity of the greater Norwich family, Norwich University will now advance to the next level of performance in delivering a world-class education," Schneider said. "We rely on our benefactors to ensure our ability to educate citizen-soldiers as we approach our third century of service to this great nation."
Norwich University is a diversified academic institution that educates traditional-age students and adults in a Corps of Cadets and as civilians. Norwich offers a broad selection of traditional and distance-learning programs culminating in Baccalaureate and Graduate Degrees. Founded in 1819 by Captain Alden Partridge of the U.S. Army, Norwich University is the oldest private military college in the United States of America and the birthplace of our nation's Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). www.norwich.edu
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