News Release

January 22, 2024
For more information, contact:
Laura Brelsford | laura.brelsford@hawks.huntingdon.edu | 334-833-4563

Huntingdon Announces Million Dollar Gift for Rural Teacher Program

Montgomery, AL – On Wednesday, January 22, Huntingdon College President Anthony Leigh announced a one-million-dollar gift given by Dr. Michael Murphy and Dr. Maureen Murphy ’78 to create the Dr. Michael Derrington Murphy and Dr. Maureen Kendrick Murphy Rural Teacher Education Scholarship Program. 

When announcing the gift and acknowledging the Murphys, President Leigh stated, “Dr. Maureen Murphy and Dr. Michael Murphy are exemplary teachers. Together they have contributed over 100 years to the advancement of chemistry, over 100 years of inspiring students, over 100 years of genuine interest and care for their students, over 100 years of going the second mile in service to their current and former students, and over 100 years of representing all that is good about the profession of education. Today we come together to celebrate them, their lives of service, their heart for people which is an extension of their faith, and their desire to make a transformational impact on the lives of future Huntingdon teacher education students who will go forth to apply the wisdom they gain here into classrooms across Alabama.”

The scholarship program will be utilized to fund full scholarships for high-achieving and high-need students from rural Alabama with a calling to serve as classroom teachers in their hometown or other rural areas of the state. It is the hope of the program benefactors and Huntingdon College to use these scholarships as a tool to assist in the Alabama teacher shortage. Leigh stated, “Alabama’s teacher shortage is well documented, and the challenge of identifying high quality teachers in rural parts of Alabama is even more exacerbated. Through the Murphy family gift, Huntingdon College will be able to identify students of promise from rural parts of Alabama, bring them to Huntingdon, give them a tremendous educational experience, and then deploy them back to their home community to lead the next generation of students in their rural hometown.”

When asked about the gift, Dr. Michael Murphy commented, “Maureen and I are delighted to be able to provide these funds to promote education in Alabama. We believe that investing in the people who live and work in our rural communities is an essential part of how we create communities that lift all lives. We are hopeful that our gift will encourage others to support the preparation of our future teachers in Alabama.”

The program will begin in the fall of 2025. For more information about Huntingdon College, please visit www.huntingdon.edu.

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