Audrey B. Morgan has done it again. The Atlanta philanthropist who fell in love with Berry in the early 2000s has just made her largest gift to date – $10 million! And once again it is our students who will benefit.
This latest commitment includes a $6 million lead gift supporting construction of a health sciences building to house Berry’s existing baccalaureate nursing program as well as a new graduate-level physician associate program. The other $4 million will be used for scholarships in music and education.
Morgan already is renowned at Berry for her leadership role in establishing the groundbreaking Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Program. A champion for the fine arts, she also led fundraising for Sisters Theatre, named in honor of the love she shared with her late sister, M. Bobbie Bailey.
Most recently, Morgan committed $5 million to establish the Bobbie Bailey and Audrey Morgan Nursing and Medical Professions Scholarship. That fund, combined with her Gate of Opportunity commitments, enabled her to invest in the lives of nearly 100 students in 2022-23 alone.
In May, the Berry College Board of Trustees held a special luncheon to honor Morgan, welcoming her as an honorary board member in recognition of her longtime friendship and support. Previously, she had been recognized as an honorary alumna and as recipient of Berry’s honorary doctorate and the Berry College President’s Award for distinguished lifetime impact.
With her gift providing early fundraising momentum, planning is well underway for the three-story health sciences building. Construction is expected to begin in 2024 on property east of the Moon Building, just south of the Cage Center. Watch for more details on the facility and the opportunities it will make possible in our next issue.
For now, we want to keep the focus squarely on the individual whom President Steve Briggs once praised for her “uncanny ability to see problems clearly, move toward them deftly and help solve them gracefully.”
Thank you, Audrey!
