MEADVILLE, Pa. – Jan. 2, 2008 – Allegheny College alumna Gail Howe Fahrner has spent over 40 years in service to a private Philadelphia-area foundation that supports innovative projects in the fields of human services, arts and culture, education and health.
Holding to the ideals that guide the organization, the retired chairman of the foundation took an innovative approach to showing his gratitude for Fahrner's competence and faithful assistance: this fall he made a gift of $1 million to establish the Gail Howe Fahrner Fund in support of the Centers for Community Engagement at Allegheny College.
Allegheny's Centers for Community Engagement include numerous programs designed to promote civic engagement: the Center for Political Participation (CPP), the Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED), the Values, Ethics and Social Action (VESA) program, the Office of Community Service and Service-Learning, Community-Based Research (CBR) and Engagement Through Writing.
“As an institution, Allegheny College is deeply rooted in the regional community and is committed to being an active community partner,” Dean of the College Linda DeMeritt said. “The Gail Howe Fahrner Fund will provide financial support for a variety of educational programs that connect learning with service to the benefit of both students and the community.”
Fahrner, who majored in French, with a minor in Secretarial Studies, graduated from Allegheny College in 1956. She recalls the years she spent in Meadville with fondness, and when she returned to campus in 2006 to celebrate her 50th class reunion she became concerned about the area and wondered what could be done to strengthen the relationship between the college and the local community. Through the endowment established in her name, these connections will grow in perpetuity.
“I wanted to create a program that would support practical approaches to improving student education which, at the same time, would have a positive impact on the Meadville community and lasting effects on helping students develop into responsible citizens,” Fahrner said.
In 2007 Allegheny College was selected as one of 25 schools nationwide invited to participate in the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Core Commitments program, which explores how higher education can foster engaged citizenship, teach personal and social responsibility, encourage a respect for diversity, cultivate excellence and implement programs that support community engagement.
Allegheny College is also one of 10 original members of Project Pericles, which in 2003 challenged colleges and universities to instill in students an abiding and active sense of social responsibility.
