The University of Montevallo launched the public phase of the MomentUM comprehensive campaign Oct. 12 on the institution’s 127th Founders’ Day with the dedication of the Alan and Lindsey Song Center for the Arts.
The $30 million campaign will prioritize student scholarships, support for faculty and academic programs and capital projects. Alan and Lindsey ‘06 Song announced the first leadership level gift of $1 million in support of scholarships to kick off the campaign on Founders’ Day.
Donors wishing to contribute can discover several ways to support the campaign at montevallo.edu/give.
The campaign has several priorities underneath the branches of student access, affordability and success, academic program support and capital project support, but the emphasis is on scholarships first and foremost.
“This is about scholarships,” said Dr. John W. Stewart, UM President. “We’re doing everything we can, including this campaign, to bring the costs of attendance down at Montevallo.”
Lindsey, who received a bachelor of arts degree from UM in 2006, continues to pursue her craft as an artist painting and doing pottery in her studio.
Alan, who arrived in the United States at a young age as a refugee from Vietnam, attended Duke University, and later became co-founder and chief technology officer for Precision Microbiology and Double Helix Specialists. In the fall of 2019, Alan was instrumental in the creation of one of the first COVID-19 PCR tests available in the world. For two years in the midst of the global pandemic, Alan and Lindsey traveled the United States, bringing their much-needed PCR test to labs all over the country. In 2022, Alan and Lindsey sold their business and officially retired.
The Songs, who are tremendous philanthropists throughout the Southeast, said they are pleased to be able to give toward scholarships for future generations looking to make an impact across the globe and are proud to be able to provide support to UM students, specifically.
“We are definitely where we belong,” said Alan Song, as he announced the $1 million gift, and a shower of confetti glittered the air inside their new namesake building.