EBSCO Industries gives $2 million to University

The University received a $2 million gift from EBSCO Industries Inc. in July, which will be divided among University Libraries and the Honors College for technical advancement and scholarship programs.

University Libraries will use $1.5 million to support digitizing the libraries' Hoole Special Collections in hopes of increasing opportunities for UA students, scholars, alumni and K-12 teachers and students to access the holdings through the libraries' Web site.

Louis A. Pitschmann, dean of libraries, said making the Hoole collection available online will benefit students in several ways, including 24-hour access anywhere in the world.

"[I am] honored that the EBSCO Corporation has the trust in us, and we consider ourselves privileged to have been given this gift," Pitschmann said.

The UA Honors College will receive $500,000 for need and merit-based scholarships.

Adam Meyer, Honors College developmental officer, said he is excited about how the donation could benefit the Honors College students.

"If you look at how inclusive the Honors Program has been, with 25 percent of incoming freshmen participating, it indicates that plenty of students will have financial need, and it allows the best and brightest to come to Alabama with their needs met," Meyer said.

Dixon Brooke Jr., president and CEO of EBSCO, said the company wants to support the University and the state.

"It is EBSCO's hope that our contribution will serve to enrich the lives of many at the University and in the state of Alabama for years to come," Brooke said.

Elton B. Stephens, EBSCO founder and UA School of Law graduate, and his wife Alys Robinson Stephens founded the company to sell magazines, personalized binders and racks to the Armed Forces.

They have expanded into almost every facet of the publishing industry, founding such companies as Vulcan Industries and acquiring others.

EBSCO is the world's largest manufacturer of fishing lures and consistently ranks in the top 200 of the nation's largest privately held corporations based on revenues and number of employees, according to Forbes magazine.