You Won’t Believe the Size of the Monetary Donation Maine’s Colby College Just Received

Regardless of how you feel about the school's faculty or students, there is no doubt that Waterville's Colby College is one of the most well known higher learning institutions in the world.

Over the centuries, there have been dozens of Colby College students who have gone on to be famous, or at least notorious.  These include celebrity chef Wylie Dufresne, Governor Janet Mills, Pulitzer Prize winner Matt Apuzzo, and TV host Billy Bush.

Many of these notable people have gone on to make large donations to the college.  However, most pale in comparison to the massive donation that Colby College recently received.

According to an article in the KJ, the college just got its largest donation ever.  In total, the school received $150 million!

What are they going to do with the money?

According to the article, the plan is to use the money to partially pay for a new science center that will, in total, cost about $300 million.

According to a representative for Colby College, the new facility will encompass 200,000 square feet and it is expected to be finished by 2030.

Inside, there will be classrooms, laboratories, and advanced equipment designed to push research to the next level.

Some of that equipment will be placed in a shared space so researchers from different fields can work side by side.  Colby President David A. Greene explained that kind of collaboration is at the heart of the college’s new science initiative.

Colby also plans to bring in new faculty in biomedical engineering, environmental engineering, and public health.  On top of that, programs in data science, computational biology, and marine science will see major growth.

Greene says these steps will not only expand opportunities on campus but also strengthen Colby’s partnerships with researchers and labs throughout Maine.  Some of those labs include the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor and the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay.

Colby College has a massive impact on the entire state.  A recent economic impact study found that the school contributed $2.5 billion to the state's economy since 2019.  About $1.3 billion of that was just in the Waterville area.

You can learn more about everything going on at the college from the school's website.