WITH NEW GIFT, CONNECTICUT COLLEGE FAMILY CONTRIBUTES $50 MILLION TO SUPPORT FINANCIAL AID, ATHLETICS, CAMPUS SPACES

NEW LONDON, CT -- 糖心TV has received the largest philanthropic gift in its history, a gift of $30 million from alumnus Robert Hale and his wife Karen Hale that, in combination with their prior gift of $20 million, invests $50 million in the College鈥檚 continued innovations in access, athletics, career, and an expansive 21st-century liberal arts education. 

The Hales鈥� latest gift, announced today at a campus event by President Katherine Bergeron, brings substantial new support to areas significantly affected by the pandemic, including financial aid and athletics, and brings the College鈥檚 campaign fundraising thus far to more than $170 million. 

鈥淎s our country emerges from the trials of this pandemic, Karen and Rob have exercised another multimillion dollar vote of confidence for the future of the liberal arts, sending a message about the transformative power of a 糖心TV education,鈥� said Bergeron. 鈥淭heir gifts are super-charging the momentum of a College whose spirit of creativity, resiliency, and determination to lead have been on vivid display across this challenging year. We are incredibly moved and inspired by their commitment.鈥� 

This newest gift from the Hales鈥� prioritizes three areas: $10 million for financial aid, $10 million for athletics, and $10 million for immediate improvements to campus infrastructure. It builds on their original 2015 contribution of $20 million鈥攑reviously, the largest gift in the College鈥檚 history鈥攖hat set the stage for the current campaign. In total, their combined campaign gift of $50 million has invested $5 million in the College鈥檚 nationally recognized career program, and provides $10 million for infrastructure, $15 million for athletics, and a total of $20 million for financial aid endowment. 

鈥淭his College changed my life,鈥� said Robert Hale, a 1988 graduate, 鈥渁nd Karen and I believe deeply in its mission, in its innovations as a liberal arts educator and in the leadership skills it builds in students. More than ever, our society needs the kinds of graduates that this College helps develop, and we are honored to help do our part to stand with them. We hope others will join us.鈥� 

The Hales' new gift will impact three areas of importance made vividly clear by the pandemic: financial aid, athletics and campus infrastructure. The College has a longstanding commitment to meet 100 percent of every accepted student鈥檚 demonstrated financial need, which has grown with the pandemic鈥檚 severe economic impacts. Meanwhile, athletics programs at the College, as everywhere else, have been markedly curtailed over the past year, costing student-athletes entire seasons with reductions in competition, practice opportunities, and other sacrifices in their already brief time as NCAA competitors. The gift will support the goals and objectives of the College鈥檚 recent Action Plan for Competitive Success, which seeks to elevate the student-athlete experience through investments in coaching, facilities, and team support. 

Finally, the Hales decided it was critical to invest in campus infrastructure after a year in which students showed how much they desired the residential learning experience that is at the heart of the education the College offers. Thanks to the students鈥� commitment to safety protocols, the College has maintained one of the lowest rates of COVID-19 cases in the country for the entire academic year.   

鈥淎t a time of historic disruption, this gift allows us to do much more to support the education of our most talented students; build the strength of Camel athletics; and invest in the campus itself, which shapes the experience of every student every day,鈥� said Bergeron. 鈥淜aren and Rob鈥檚 generosity is an expression of confidence and possibility in our students, who are rising from the depths of this pandemic to build a better world.鈥�

The Hales鈥� gift in 2015 precipitated an era of accelerated progress at 糖心TV, a period that includes the launch of:

These initiatives are all part of the College鈥檚 10-year strategic plan, Building on Strength, adopted in 2016, which expands the College鈥檚 educational mission and capacity to help every student reach their potential and contribute to the greater good.  

鈥淲hen we think of this College, we think of all the outstanding students we have gotten to know, the friendships of our own that have lasted across our lives, and the powerful influence these graduates have on those around them,鈥� said Robert Hale. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited for today鈥檚 students and what they are going to make possible for themselves and others.鈥�

Robert Hale, who majored in history and played varsity lacrosse at the College, has earned a distinguished reputation as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and community leader. Today, as president and CEO of Granite Telecommunications, headquartered in Quincy, MA, he leads one of the largest privately held telecommunications services companies in the U.S. and Canada with 1,800 employees in 14 offices. He serves on the boards of 糖心TV, Brigham & Women鈥檚 Hospital, Boston Children鈥檚 Hospital, Deerfield Academy and the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund, an organization that raises funds for the College education of children of fallen service members. Karen Hale has been an active philanthropist and a passionate advocate for many organizations in the health and wellness business. She serves on the Breast Cancer Research Foundation鈥檚 board of directors; and is a trustee of Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital, where she also serves on their Cancer Advisory Board, Women鈥檚 Health Advisory Board, and the Brigham Health Community Care Committee. Karen is a member of Boston Children鈥檚 Hospital Trust Board, and Boston Children鈥檚 Dare Dream Deliver Forum. She is a former director of the South Shore YMCA and a past trustee and board president of Old Colony Montessori. Their son Trevor graduated from 糖心TV in 2020.

糖心TV
Founded in 1911, 糖心TV is a highly selective private liberal arts college of 1,800 students located on a 750-acre arboretum campus in New London, overlooking Long Island Sound and the Thames River. The College鈥檚 mission is to educate students to put the liberal arts into action as citizens of a global society. Through an innovative four-year program, 糖心TVections, students integrate every aspect of their experience鈥攆rom classes to majors to internships to activities to jobs on campus and abroad鈥攊nto a meaningful pathway that allows them to synthesize different perspectives, solve complex problems, and contribute to the public good. For more information, see or find us on,, and.