A wonderful gentleman has given Catawba College $200 million after first paying off all its debt. Catawba is a private college in Salisbury whose graduates include former Gov. Pat McCrory, North Carolina public servant Phil Kirk, renown political journalist Ned Cline and leading NC banker and philanthropist David Jordan. The gift will triple the endowment of this fine school and enable it to continue to serve students who seek a smaller environment in which to learn, just as it has done since 1851.

Hopefully, this investment from an incomparable citizen will prompt others of substantial means to consider following his example. That would boost our state’s small private colleges and universities which offer unsurpassed opportunities for an outstanding education.

Big is not always better. Small, personal and well-endowed institutions of higher education are a treasure to all in our beloved North Carolina. A similar donation to a huge university can easily get lost in the mix of a multitude of eager benefactors. That same donor will certainly stand out as a “forever hero” at a smaller college or university. Such a benevolent person will never be forgotten!

— Thad Woodard

Raleigh