RICHMOND – Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Sutphin of Covington have earned the 2011 Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in Philanthropy.
They were nominated for the award by the Dabney S. Lancaster Community College Educational Foundation. The award was given at a luncheon ceremony April 19 at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond.
Mr. Sutphin created the Vivian N. and Robert F. Sutphin Nursing Scholarship through the DSLCC Educational Foundation to honor Mrs. Sutphin for her more than 50 years of service and dedication to the nursing program. Together, they wish to provide an opportunity for an aspiring person to achieve an education and to have a career in nursing by attending the nursing program at DSLCC.
The scholarship is intended for an adult resident of Alleghany or Bath County, the city of Covington or the town of Clifton Forge, who chose not to pursue a post-secondary education immediately after high school graduation, but now wishes to pursue a career in nursing by completing the DSLCC nursing program.
The Sutphins are natives of the area, and Mrs. Sutphin enjoyed a long career of nursing the citizens of the Alleghany Highlands. Regarding his decision to create the scholarship at DSLCC, Mr. Sutphin explained that “Vivian’s education at MCV prepared her well for her career, and now we want to help provide the financial means for someone else to have a rewarding and satisfying nursing career as Vivian had.
“Vivian always has been interested in the community; and the health of its people, from prenatal to death, has been especially important to her,” he continued. “She has tried to provide education and guidance so that each person could be a partner in maintaining their health status as comfortably and as happy as possible, whether in the home, school, hospital, or the community.
“We are fortunate to have such a well-qualified and accredited nursing program at DSLCC. We feel it is important to support this wonderful program and are thankful that we are able to do so.”
The Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in Philanthropy is hosted by the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE) to honor the leading philanthropists from each of Virginia’s 23 community colleges as well as the statewide foundation. This marks the sixth year the award has been given.
This year’s class of distinguished philanthropy leaders has contributed a combined total of $11 million to Virginia’s community colleges.
“Each of these supporters personifies the theme of this event, ‘Living Philanthropy’,” said Dr. Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community College System. “For those of us here today, living philanthropy is the promise that our impact will live on; it will blend with those who came before creating a larger and larger living tapestry of good will, benefiting and elevating those who come next.”
Award recipients will have a scholarship named after them which will be awarded next fall to a student attending their community college. The scholarships are funded largely by the Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation.
The luncheon’s keynote speaker was Caroline Altman Smith, the Kresge Foundation’s program officer for education. Ms. Smith also accepted the philanthropy leadership award on behalf of the Kresge Foundation, which was nominated for the award by the VFCCE for Kresge’s partnership in the Great Expectations program to help more Virginia foster youth pursue and graduate college.
“I believe that increasing educational opportunity is the key to helping people achieve their full potential,” said Smith. “A first generation student who earns a college degree changes the trajectory of his or her family forever.
“Education is one of the most powerful anti-poverty tools we have,” she continued, “and it’s a privilege to help implement Kresge’s new strategy, so that more students can realize the enormous benefits of higher education.”