The Unfolding of a Miracle
More than 40 years ago, a miracle began to unfold. It saved this University, and it made all things seem possible for those of us who served Richmond in the years that followed. Unfortunately, the story of this miracle has faded with time, but it remains fresh in my memory, and it should never be forgotten.
At a trustees meeting in 1967, E. Claiborne Robins, R’31, listened intently as President George Modlin outlined the University’s precarious position. Tuition and fees were no longer enough to pay the bills. The facilities on campus were grossly inadequate, and the University was facing increased competition from state-supported colleges. In short, it would take a miracle to save the University.
The question, of course, was how much this miracle was going to cost. Modlin, a professor of economics, walked to the blackboard and wrote $25,000,000–$50,000,000.
The situation continued to deteriorate in the months that followed, but Claiborne started thinking about making a large gift to the University. He had built the A.H. Robins Co. into a major manufacturer of pharmaceuticals, and he dreamed of seeing his alma mater transformed into one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning. He discussed this dream with his wife, Lora, and their first inclination was to donate $25 million. After more discussion, they decided to make it $50 million. At the conclusion of commencement ceremonies in May 1969, Modlin announced the miraculous gift. The people in the crowd gasped, then jumped to their feet, clapping and shouting.
After I became president of the University in 1971, I was amazed that the Robins family turned out to be more important to me than the Robins’ philanthropy. From the moment I arrived at Richmond, Claiborne, Lora, and their children were my strongest advocates, supporters, and mentors. Whenever I needed a friend, Claiborne was there. Whenever the University needed money, he was there. Whenever I asked him to call on a potential contributor, he was there, often agreeing to match major gifts to close the deals.
The entire family has set a new standard for transformative philanthropy. Only $10 million of the $50 million gift was a challenge grant, but our alumni and other supporters matched the entire $50 million by 1980. This was an incredibly ambitious undertaking, and some of our supporters advised against it— including some of the University’s trustees. They were afraid we would come up embarrassingly short. They suggested that our alumni would say, “Why does the University need my $50 when the Robins family just gave $50 million.” But Claiborne did not see it that way, and neither did our alumni. The Robins gift inspired greater generosity among alumni, and I believe their generosity further inspired Claiborne.
Over the years, the Robins family has donated more than $200 million to the University. Typically, the family responded to critical needs with few strings—or no strings—attached, but their contributions have been far more than monetary. They have been intimately involved in every aspect of Richmond’s development. They built dormitories, the Robins Center, and a major expansion of the business school. They endowed scholarships and professorships, and filled leadership positions. E. Claiborne Robins Jr., R’68, chaired a $60 million campaign from 1982–87, our largest fundraising effort to that point.
E. Claiborne Robins Sr. died in 1995, but said that he lived long enough to see his dream come true. I am glad he felt that way, but I personally believe the miracle that began with the Robins gift is still unfolding on our campus today. Tens of thousands of alumni and friends have answered Claiborne’s call to support education and create the best small University in the country. All gifts, large and small, continue to ensure Claiborne’s vision—from 71 percent of the Class of 2009 participating in the senior gift and more than 11,346 alumni and friends making a gift last year, to 851 endowed scholarships making an education at Richmond possible, 44 endowed professorships bringing the finest teacher-scholars to our classrooms, and remarkable facilities projects, including the four major initiatives now underway to enhance academic and student life.
In no small measure, private philanthropy has created the University we know today—and it will enable us to fulfill Richmond’s further promise. Cultivating this spirit of generosity—this awareness of what we can achieve through individual and collective support—is truly one of the enduring gifts of the Robins family. All of us here are enormously grateful.
Dr. E. Bruce Heilman is a chancellor and former president of the University. Send comments about this column to krhodes@richmond.edu.
Send comments about this story to krhodes@richmond.edu.
