MADISONVILLE, Ky--Madisonville Community College is always looking for ways to assist students with their college careers, to make their educational experiences more meaningful, including professional support of their studies to ensure success.

The college is thrilled to announce that it has recently received a very generous lead pledge from the estate of Mrs. Irene Sadler--a life-long Greenville resident who saw the value of local post-secondary endeavors. Mrs. Sadler lived her entire life in and around Muhlenberg County, and her show of generosity is no doubt a reflection of her fondness for home. The gift will also permanently help local students.

Her gift, currently valued at $190,000, will be endowed to support academics and student support services on the Muhlenberg Campus. Initially, the gift will be used to pay for tutorial services in the language arts, sciences and mathematics in the local learning lab and is intended to help students increase their comprehension levels in these areas. Mrs. Sadler wanted to make a statement in her estate about the value of a comprehensive community college close to home and the gift will no doubt assist MCC serve west Kentucky with greater effectiveness.

Dr. Judy Rhoads, MCC President, stated that "in recognition of this gift, we have placed a plaque honoring Mrs. Sadler next to the learning lab. The marker will be a permanent reminder of Irene's generosity, indeed a reminder of how generous this entire county has been to MCC over the past 30 years. Through endowment income, our tutorial 'man hours' will be increased by roughly 1200 hours each academic year, or about 30 hours weekly."

In a March 24 announcement, Rhoads stated that the college hopes that increased service to students will result in more success for transfer students and also increase graduation rates in technical degree areas such as nursing, engineering technology, industrial maintenance, electronics and allied health. During her remarks, Rhoads also commended Peggy Williams of Old National Bank as a college advocate who had assisted Mrs. Sadler with her estate plans.