Emory & Henry College Receives $200,000 Gift from Moore Endowment to support Appalachian Studies
Roots are important in Appalachia. Thanks to a generous gift of $200,000 from The Judith S. and James D. Moore, Jr. Endowment for Appalachian Studies, students at Emory & Henry College can dig a little deeper into the culture of the region where the college has been located since 1836.
“This gift of the Moore Endowment for Appalachian Studies allows Emory & Henry to become a repository of accessible scholarship and engaged learning that celebrates and examines Appalachia from many historical and contemporary lenses,” said Dr. Lisa Withers, Dean of Arts and Sciences. “We envision the resources of this gift providing opportunities for students and scholars to collaborate in the work of understanding the place and culture of this rich region in which Emory & Henry resides.”
The Judith S. and James D. Moore, Jr. Endowment for Appalachian Studies was recently established in 2023 by Mrs. Moore, a member of the Emory & Henry College Class of 1997, and her husband, Dr. James D. Moore, Jr., with an initial gift of $200,000. The purpose of the Moore Endowment is to provide financial support, from the fund’s annual earnings, to help underwrite one or more of the following initiatives that highlight or explore our region of Appalachia: The College’s Literary Festival, honoring the literature of Appalachia; The Watershed Project, an exploration of Southwest Virginia that serves as a civic resource and open-access educational tool, helping to tell new stories of Southwest Virginia; experiential education and digital scholarship/digital humanities; courses that focus on the food, geography/geographic information systems (GIS) and the history and culture of our region of Appalachia; and support to allow faculty members to modify existing courses or create new courses that focus on our region of Appalachia.
“This extraordinary gift helps to ensure that Emory & Henry will continue to be able to celebrate the Appalachian region and support scholarly work that explores its cultural, historical, and economic significance for decades to come.” said Dr. Scott Sikes, Director, Appalachian Center for Civic Life Director, Bonner Scholars Program Chair, Interdisciplinary Program in Civic Innovation. “We are so grateful and pleased that, through their generous gift, the Moore’s recognize the significance of the college’s longstanding commitment to the people and communities of the region.”
More information about the Emory & Henry College Appalachian Center for Civic Life can be found here: https://www.ehc.edu/appalachian-center-for-civic-life/
Open gallery
Dr. Lisa Withers, Dean of Arts and Sciences