College declares March Sweet Briar Forever Month for second year

Sweet Briar President Phil Stone dedicates the new Sweet Briar Rose Garden on March 3, 2016.


Sweet Briar College is again recognizing March as Sweet Briar Forever Month, a custom that the school inaugurated a year ago.

It is a time when community members are asked to reaffirm their commitment to the College through giving. But it’s also a time to celebrate Sweet Briar’s rich history; its renewal in the wake the attempted closing announced on March 3, 2015; and the bright future before it.

To kick off the month, President Phil Stone will lead an observance signifying the community’s recommitment to Sweet Briar “in perpetuity.” The brief ceremony will begin at 11:50 a.m. Wednesday, March 1, in the quad. Stone will plant a new rose bush, adding to the Sweet Briar Rose Garden between Gray and Pannell, which was dedicated during last year’s celebration. The bells also will ring to honor another year in Sweet Briar’s history. A dessert reception in Prothro will follow.

March 1 also has been designated a “Day of Giving” with a goal of reaching $500,000 in one day. A second goal of raising another $500,000 is set to be achieved by end of the day on March 10 — the 189th birthday of Sweet Briar’s founder, Indiana Fletcher Williams.

These short-term objectives are part of a larger special initiative to raise $20 million in unrestricted funds during the 2017 fiscal year, which ends June 30. As of Feb. 22, $6,323,308 — about 32 percent of the goal — had been met.

To make your contribution, please visit sbc.edu/give. And, thank you.