Bluefield College has received one of its largest charitable gifts in recent years – a $651,000 bequest from the Guy E. Beatty Revocable Trust to support student scholarships and campus improvements.
A longtime friend of Bluefield College through an association with the Virginia College Fund, Guy Beatty was a prominent real estate developer in Northern Virginia, who had projects world-wide through the Beatty Management Company, a family-run business in McLean, Virginia, in which Beatty served as president and chief executive officer before his death in 2013.
Beatty also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia College Fund (VCF), a non-profit organization in Richmond, Virginia, established for the purpose of assisting Virginia private colleges, like Bluefield College, in providing outstanding liberal arts higher education to students in the commonwealth. The VCF provides its members with resources that help ensure their students receive affordable, value-based education.
In fact, the $651,000 gift to Bluefield College was part of a $2.7 million bequest from the Guy E. Beatty Revocable Trust to the Virginia College Fund – the VCF’s largest gift in history. Other member institutions to benefit from the Beatty Trust include Averett University in Danville, Virginia; Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia; and Ferrum College in Ferrum, Virginia.
“This is a transformational gift for the VCF,” said Jim Dill, executive director and president of the organization. “We are grateful to Guy, his widow Betty, and the Beatty family for their long-term generosity. Guy was a longtime board member and fully believed in our schools and the students they produce.”
Of the $651,000 received by Bluefield College, 70 percent will be designated for student scholarships, while 30 percent will go to academic and student-related campus improvement projects. In fact, to achieve the college’s vision to graduate servant leaders who transform the world, the BC Board of Trustees identified improving campus facilities and increasing the amount of student scholarships as strategic priorities for the institution.
“We are deeply grateful for the generosity of Guy and Betty Beatty throughout the years and for the love they both have for colleges like Bluefield College,” said BC president Dr. David Olive. “They both have modeled a heart for sharing with others not only during their lifetimes, but as Guy has done through his estate.”
The Virginia College Fund has raised more than $23 million for its member institutions during its 53-year history. The funding has come from individuals, foundations, and corporations who believe in the mission.
“The VCF is proud of its legacy,” said Dill. “The VCF has a great history of assisting low-to-moderate income students, minority students, and first generation students, and those students seeking a smaller, more nurturing environment.”