Hiram – Hiram College Chairman of the Board of Trustees Dean Scarborough ’77 and his wife Janice Bini have donated a $6 million multi-year gift to advance Hiram College’s New Liberal Arts initiative. This largest single gift ever made to the College is designated to enhance Hiram students’ college experiences and secure a vibrant future for the institution. Scarborough and Bini also gifted Hiram’s previous largest single gift, $2.1 million, in February 2017, to launch Tech and Trek.
For the newest gift, Bini and Scarborough have requested that funds be used, first and foremost, to serve current and future students. They have specifically earmarked monies to renovate student residence halls, upgrade health and science laboratories and classrooms, enhance wireless connectivity and classroom technologies, and bolster Hiram’s business program. In terms of the latter, Hiram will extend the B.A. in marketing degree it offers at Lakeland Community College to students in the Traditional College. Starting this fall, new and current students can choose marketing as a major.
Like all business degrees at the College, the marketing degree is deeply rooted in the liberal arts. This foundation will sustain Hiram graduates throughout their lives – preparing them for the numerous jobs that constitute their careers and for the many changes that will mark their personal and professional lives. It is the same holistic education to which Scarborough credits his success.
“I always wanted to be a business major. I was encouraged by a mentor to get a liberal arts education first, and a MBA later,” says Scarborough who earned his B.A. in economics from Hiram and MBA from the University of Chicago. “I’m really glad I took his advice since the liberal arts taught me how to be a lifelong learner. As the former CEO of a multinational company, I needed to understand people and cultures from around the world. The Hiram of the 1970s prepared me to do that and so much more.”
Scarborough, who served as the longtime CEO of Avery Dennison Corporation, adds that the gift will accelerate the momentum of Hiram’s visionary New Liberal Arts. College President, Lori Varlotta, says “This innovative model combines integrated study, high-impact experiences, and mindful technology. Dean and Janice’s transformational gifts help us bring that model to a whole new level. This gift is a game-changer for the college and for our students,” she states. Scarborough and Bini agree, “We see this small liberal arts college in Ohio’s Western Reserve as a big leader in higher education, presenting a model that merges classic education with 21st century demands. Hiram is the place to be for today’s students.”
“We are proud that Hiram is in an early wave of liberal arts innovators,” Dean says. “Janice and I suspect that other colleges who expect to thrive will follow in a similar direction. The path less traveled yesterday is increasingly becoming the thoroughfare between mission and market. This gift – and the others we hope it spurs – allows Hiram to lead the way.”
