Not long ago, the College of Education looked like it would need years to improve its image at Ohio University. With only 25 percent of faculty approving of Dean Renee Middleton - the lowest of any dean - its problems seemed too numerous to fix.
Now, the college's luck has changed drastically.
Thursday, university officials announced the second of Violet Patton's two massive donations to OU in the past month - this one for $28 million to the College of Education. Pending approval from the Board of Trustees, the college will be renamed after her parents.
We want to thank Patton for her donation. Large gifts like these provide students with a better and more affordable education. To put her charity in perspective, these two gifts make Patton the second-biggest donor in OU's history.
In January, Patton gave $13.3 million to the College of Fine Arts to create a center for fine arts education. Its primary goal is creating a shared program with OU and local public schools to teach Athens students the arts.
President Roderick McDavis said then that the university is humbled by her generosity. We cannot imagine how he feels now.
It is also good to hear Middleton hopes to use most of the money for professors and scholarships. Some of the donation will also be allocated toward renovating the college's main building, McCracken Hall. Built in 1959, McCracken shows its age.
Although neither donation will be available for use until after Patton's death, the gifts are huge for this university. OU receives a much-needed shot of cash, which would otherwise be in short supply with the looming deficit over the next few years.
With the positive change that donations make to both the university and Athens, we can only hope the rest of our successful alumni feel as generous as Patton does.
4 Opinion
2nd-biggest donor
