Earlham College lands $1M gift for student union
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Earlham College has received a $1 million gift from a pair of alumni that will be used to renovate Runyan Center, the college’s student union facility.
The school said the project will include a reimagining of the center’s existing courtyard and a new outdoor deck for gathering and dining.
The gift comes from Jeff May and Karen Crossen, who graduated from Earlham in the mid-1970s. The college said the donation is in recognition of the couple’s 50th wedding anniversary, as well as May’s 50th reunion.
“Runyan was the center of our non-academic lives on campus,” May said in a news release. “You’d share a meal, stop by the mailroom, go bowling in the basement, hang out at the coffee shop, or catch a movie or student performance at Wilkinson Theater. There was always something going on. There was so much energy — it brought people together.”
The restoration of Runyan Center will also include renovations to the east and west entryways, which will feature updated landscaping, outdoor seating, and spaces for public art.
Earlham said the project will have a renewed emphasis on making Runyan an “inviting first impression for prospective students and their families visiting campus.”
The donation marks the second $1 million gift from the couple. In 2015, they gave $1 million to support student scholarships and help establish the May-Crossen Student Commons on the Richmond campus.
“We don’t have children of our own, so this is our way of supporting young people,” May said. “Our hope is that this gift attracts future generations of Earlhamites who will benefit from the outstanding opportunities Earlham offers.”
Work on the renovations are slated to begin this summer and be complete in August ahead of the 2025-26 academic year.