Like a magnet, the pull of a unifying cause can attract even the most distant of strangers. For several like-minded members of the Longwood community, that pull has brought them together in support of a university fundraising initiative whose impact will be felt for decades to come.
Galvanized by a generous matching gift from philanthropist and Longwood alumna Joan Perry Brock ’64, and pushed across the finish line by nine Lancers with varying connections to the school, Longwood University has solidified a series of endowments that will name eight professorships across campus in perpetuity.
Together, the endowments are the result of a 12-month campaign that engaged a diverse collection of donors, with Brock’s outsized match the throughline between them all. The campaign amassed $3 million in support of the eight perennial funds, with Brock’s 2:1 match accounting for $2 million of the collective total and her fellow philanthropists teaming up to provide another $1 million, all spread across the individual endowments.
Seeded by those individual gifts and funded by the earnings of each investment, each endowed professorship supports the work of a Longwood faculty member. Recipients must have a distinguished record of accomplishments in their field—including research, publication, creative endeavors, awards and honors, and leadership positions—and demonstrate professional accomplishment and a commitment to Longwood University’s mission. Above all, the recipient must demonstrate excellence in teaching and a commitment to creating the next generation of citizen leaders.
The inaugural recipients of the new endowed professorships will be announced during the 2027-28 academic year.
Along with the practical benefits of the endowments, the addition of eight new endowed professorships will allow Longwood to retain and support talented educators who are dedicated to their students and work, as well as serve as a tool to attract talented young candidates by supporting their work far into the future.
“As it often happens at Longwood, this project started with the buy-in of one person—in this case Joan—and soon pulled in many others,” said Courtney Hodges, Longwood vice president for institutional advancement.
[This initiative] is just another example of the magnetic effect Longwood has on the many, many people who have seen and experienced what Longwood does.
Courtney Hodges, vice president for institutional advancement
“I think at the time, both Joan and I were surprised at how quickly people latched on and wanted to be a part of it. But in hindsight, it’s just another example of the magnetic effect Longwood has on the many, many people who have seen and experienced what Longwood does—whether they were students themselves, have a loved one who went to school here, or have just become a part of the Longwood community in some meaningful way.”
Funded by a collection of alumni, family, friends and leaders of the university, the endowments will support faculty in six different academic disciplines. Those range from business to education, mathematics, the sciences and humanities, all of which maintain a personal connection to the donors and their specific endowments.
The donors, listed below, all cited Brock’s matching gift as a key reason for contributing to the project, and several named their endowed professorships in honor of loved ones or influential figures in their lives. Over the next several weeks, Longwood will share the stories of each endowment, the people who made them happen, the individuals each fund honors, and the department the donor chose to support.
Longwood Endowed Professorship Donors
- Diane Bottoms Boxley ’72: Diane Boxley Endowed Chair of Mathematics
- Elizabeth “Liz” Cole ’70: Cdr. B.J. (Jim) and Elizabeth Gerko Charleton Endowed Professor of Business
- Janet Daly Greenwood: Drs. John T. Casteen III and Janet D. Greenwood University Professor
- Richard Kraemer: Carole A. Kraemer ’67 University Professor (Teacher Preparation)
- O’Kelly E. McWilliams ’90: O’Kelly E. McWilliams Professor of Business
- David and Linda Rose: Abraham and Shirley Honig Endowed Professor of Chemistry
- Bernie Rowe ’70: Richard Thomas Couture Endowed Professor of History
- Nancy Britton Shelton ’68: Nancy Britton Shelton Professor of History
That so many donors from different backgrounds and with varying connections to Longwood all made major gifts to a singular cause is a direct result of Brock’s giving philosophy: to use her own philanthropy as a means to encourage others to become philanthropists themselves. Each donor to the endowed professorship project was already a loyal supporter of Longwood, but the opportunity to create an endowed professorship inspired them to deepen their commitment in a meaningful way.
Philanthropy is catching. You can get encouraged and motivated by somebody else’s actions, especially if you have a deep love for the same cause.
Joan Perry Brock '64
“Philanthropy is catching,” said Brock, whose lifetime giving to Longwood spans nearly half a century. “You can get encouraged and motivated by somebody else’s actions, especially if you have a deep love for the same cause.”
That philosophy of engagement has long been central to Brock’s support of her alma mater. Along with her late husband, Macon Brock, she has motivated countless others to join in her philanthropy, which in recent years has included numerous large-scale initiatives and projects such as Longwood’s groundbreaking Brock Experiences program, the state-of-the-art Joan Perry Brock Center, the campus’ transformative Brock Commons and multiple student scholarship initiatives.
And beyond the academic and financial impacts of the most recent example of that magnetic brand of engagement, the collaborative project also signals the depth of interpersonal connections inherent to Longwood’s culture and mission—both in the past and present.
[The initiative's success] speaks to the strength of the school that the interest came from so many different areas. It’s all encompassing. It shows that Longwood treats everybody equally, whatever their background is.
Joan Perry Brock '64
“It speaks to the strength of the school that the interest came from so many different areas,” Brock said. “It’s all encompassing. It shows that Longwood treats everybody equally, whatever their background is. It says a lot about [President W. Taylor Reveley IV] and the people who work at Longwood and the school itself.”