Jul 31, 2013 05:49 AM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Center College Kentucky has received a gift of $250 million from the A. Eugene Brockman Charitable Trust to establish the Brockman Scholars Program in Leadership and Entrepreneurship. The donation is considered to be the largest gift ever given to a liberal arts college and one of the largest single gifts in higher education history.

Beginning fall 2014, around 40 Brockman Scholarships will be awarded every year for students specializing in the natural sciences, computational sciences, and economics. By 2017, the scholarship program will include a total of 160 students.

The scholarship will be conferred to students who "have a very good chance of making a mark on the world," said Richard Trollinger, a campus vice president.

The merit-based scholarship will cover tuition, room and board charges and other fees. It will also support study abroad experiences, summer research and internship opportunities.

"This magnificent gift establishing the Brockman Scholars Program marks a fundamental transformation in Centre College's ability to support students whose hard work, character, and intellect have demonstrated their potential for leadership," saidJohn A. Roush, Centre President.

"The problems and the opportunities confronting our nation and world are increasingly complex, and the Brockman Scholars Program will empower talented young women and men with the knowledge, creativity, and integrity necessary to address them." Roush said.

Brockman Scholars can enroll in a variety of majors such as behavioral neuroscience, biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, chemistry, chemical physics, computer science, economics, financial economics, mathematics, physics, and psychology.

"The vision for this gift," said Richard Trollinger, vice president for college relations at Centre, "is to enable Centre to attract highly qualified students who become 'job creators' as they devote entrepreneurial thinking to society's needs, thereby stimulating economic growth."

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