St. Lawrence University to use $3 million donation to launch new Center for Career Excellence

CANTON, N.Y. — St. Lawrence University will use a $3 million donation toward a new Center for Career Excellence on the campus in Canton.

The newly organized St. Lawrence Center for Career Excellence will “build on the success” of the former career-services department to focus on three critical areas: early career exploration, experiential learning, and internships.

Initiatives will include a mentoring program for every student, a “substantial” increase of available internship opportunities, and a sequence of courses to help students leverage their liberal-arts education.

Hilary Ayn Valentine, who graduated from the school in 1989, has designated her recent $3 million donation to the St. Lawrence endowment to benefit the project, the university said in a news release.

“Having benefited from the wonderful mentoring that already takes place in many ways at St. Lawrence, I am particularly excited that the new mentorship program will provide many more students with similar experiences and support,” Valentine said. “Laurentians are known for their passionate commitment to each other and the University. It’s a powerful thing to know that members of the St. Lawrence community are always there to encourage and guide you, and I feel that has always been something that sets St. Lawrence apart from other institutions.”

Valentine’s donation is her second significant contribution to the university’s current campaign — The Campaign for Every Laurentian — and brings her total support to $5.5 million. In 2016, she established the James R. Wallace Professorship in Psychology in honor of her mentor.

About the campaign

With a goal of $225 million, the Campaign for Every Laurentian is described as the “largest comprehensive fundraising initiative in the more than 160-year history of St. Lawrence University.”

The campaign, now in its final phase, has so far raised $185 million in gifts and commitments, the university said.