Press Release

Press Release

New York, NY (August 18, 2008) - The Teagle Foundation is pleased to announce that Richard L. Morrill, Chancellor of the University of Richmond, has been elected Chair of the Board of Directors and Walter C. Teagle III has been chosen Vice-Chair.

Founded in 1944 by Walter C. Teagle, the Teagle Foundation is dedicated to providing intellectual leadership and financial support to strengthen and promote undergraduate student learning in the liberal arts and sciences. Ensuring that students have access to challenging, wide-ranging, and enriching college educations is at the core of the Foundation's philanthropy, and it is achieving this goal through programs designed to increase and build on the knowledge of how students learn.

"This is a very important time for American higher education and for the Teagle Foundation," said the Foundation's president, W. Robert Connor. "For the past several years, the Foundation has focused many of its resources on colleges and universities willing to ask tough questions about whether their students are learning at the highest possible levels, to look unflinchingly at the evidence they gather, and then strive to do even better. All of our programs speak to this overarching goal and they are starting to yield encouraging results. The keen insight, innovative thinking and enthusiasm for the Foundation's mission brought by Mr. Morrill and Mr. Teagle ensure that our programs will continue to develop and thrive."

Mr. Morrill has served on the Teagle Foundation Board of Directors since 1989 and has had a long career of leadership in higher education. He has served as President of the University of Richmond, Centre College and Salem College, as President of the Southern Association of College and Schools, and as a member of the executive committee of the board of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. He also served as a member of the National Panel that issued the Association's influential 2002 report, "Greater Expectations: A New Vision for Learning as a Nation Goes to College." Morrill did his undergraduate work at Brown University, earned a graduate degree at Yale University and received a doctorate from Duke University in religion and ethics. He is the author of numerous publications on values, leadership and liberal education including the recent book, Strategic Leadership: Integrating Strategy and Leadership in Colleges and Universities (ACE/Praeger, 2007). Mr. Morrill currently serves on a number of corporate and charitable boards of directors.

Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Teagle has served in both operating and strategic positions at small and mid-size companies, facilitating their evolution into more significant enterprises that realized greater returns for shareholders and employees. He received a degree in economics from the University of Maryland and earned an MBA in finance from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. Mr. Teagle has served on the Teagle Foundation Board of Directors for over 25 years and has chaired its investment committee since 2005.

The Teagle Foundation has been chaired by John S. Chalsty for the past 11 years. A distinguished figure in business and philanthropy, Mr. Chalsty has provided strong leadership for the Foundation as it has become a valuable resource for those in higher education. "I leave the Foundation at a time when it is stronger than ever and is seeing demonstrable results in its projects" said Chalsty. "I know Mr. Morrill and Mr. Teagle will continue to lead the Teagle Foundation in the furthering of new ideas and knowledge in liberal arts education."

For more information about the Teagle Foundation, please visit their website at www.teaglefoundation.org

Contact information:

Teagle Contact:
Donna Heiland
212-373-1972