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FOUNDERS COLLEGE WINS DEGREE-GRANTING AUTHORITY TO LAUNCH LIBERAL ARTS AND BUSINESS COLLEGE IN VIRGINIA

 

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LYNCH STATION, VA (September 13, 2006) – Promising to set a new standard in  higher education by offering real value in a liberal arts degree, Founders College today announced it has received degree-granting authority from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Founders is a residential liberal arts and business college scheduled to open in Lynch Station in the fall of 2007.

“Founders College offers a curriculum in which courses build upon each other, culminating in a cohesive body of knowledge,” said Dr. Gary Hull, the College’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We seek to inspire a life-long passion for knowledge and a commitment to take ideas seriously,” Hull added, “and we emphasize the thinking and communication skills that students will need to pursue success in any profession or graduate program.”

Virginia’s decision paves the way for Founders to solicit applications for the Class of 2011. The College has signed a contract to purchase the beautiful Merritt-Hutchinson Estate. Subject to land-use approvals from Campbell County, the Estate will be the future home of Founders College.

            Founders College will operate as a for-profit enterprise that treats parents and students as cherished customers. The College is expected to generate significant tax revenues for its host community, employ several hundred people in high-paying jobs, and purchase a variety of goods and services that will fuel direct and indirect economic growth in the area.

            Hull, Director of the Program on Values and Ethics in the Marketplace at Duke University, said Founders will redefine and revitalize liberal arts education. What makes the College unique is its focus on an integrated education centered around important ideas in history, literature and the arts, economics, and philosophy. In addition to liberal arts, Founders will start by offering degrees in business and education.

 

             “Each student will graduate with an important body of knowledge, a capacity to think independently and make logical judgments, and the ability to write and speak clearly and eloquently. Our education gives students the ability to understand better themselves and the world around them.”

Student Scholastic Aptitude (SAT) and Advanced Placement (AP) test scores will not be considered for admission. Instead, Founders evaluates applications by reference to a student’s context of knowledge, thinking and writing skills, essay, maturity level, and motivation.

Faculty at Founders College will be required to pass a rigorous, proprietary teacher-training program, and to participate in on-going teacher training. Tenure will not be offered. 

“We prize effective teaching methods and great teachers.” Hull said. “Instructors will focus on inspiring and fostering the intellect of students, as well as providing the finest education in essential liberal arts subjects.”

Tamara Fuller, the College’s Chief Strategy Officer, said Founders is on track to open in the fall of 2007, once it receives the necessary approvals for use of the 1,100-acre estate nestled in the foothills of Central Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains.

“We have three ingredients for success,” Fuller said. “There’s clearly strong interest in a classical and disciplined liberal arts college that takes seriously the idea that parents and students are its customers. Second, the demographics of the next decade will generate a significant boom of college-age students. And third, the College is positioned to offer a rich campus experience in a state known for great colleges and universities.”

The College will sit at the core of a long-term vision to establish a lifelong learning center at the Lynch Station site, including a retirement community, a luxury conference center, fine dining and other amenities.

For more information, visit www.founderscollege.com.

 

 

Media Contact:

Sarah Francomano

(617) 937-2580

Sarah.Francomano@mslpr.com

 

 

Founders College Education Inc.
10001 Windstream Drive
Suite 907
Columbia, MD 21044
telephone: 1-800-973-1136
www.founderscollege.com

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