PHILADELPHIA, PA.- In a major advancement for both its endowment and for the Moore College of Art & Design mission of preparing students for careers in the visual arts, Penny Fox, Chair of Moore’s Board of Trustees, and her husband Bob, have given $2 million to the college. The gift will create Moore’s first-ever endowed professorship and fund five endowed student internships annually.

“This is a historic step for Moore,” said President Happy Craven Fernandez. “We are deeply grateful to Penny and Bob. Not only is it our largest endowment gift, but it will be incredibly meaningful in extending our signature Internship Fellowship program. It will also make it possible for Moore to continue to attract and retain award-winning, professionally active faculty who encourage excellence and creative exploration in our students, the hallmarks of a Moore education,” she said.

Just last year, Moore began awarding $1,000 Internship Fellowships to all juniors during the summer they are completing their internships. Moore is the only independent art and design college to require internships in all majors and to support each student with the $1,000 Internship Fellowship. The Fox gift will provide five fellowships of an additional $2,000 that will be competitively awarded, beginning in 2012.

“We know that placing students with working professionals and potential employers provides meaningful opportunities that influence students’ career paths,” said Fernandez. “We also know that college-funded internship fellowships are rare in higher education. “

In addition to the endowed Internship Fellows, the Fox gift also will create the college’s first endowed professorship. The Penny and Bob Fox Distinguished Professorship will typically rotate every two years, beginning this May, and recognize faculty who exemplify teaching excellence and outstanding leadership.
Penny Fox is the Chair of Moore’s Board of Trustees and has served on the Board since 1991. She is also a trustee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Ballet. She recently served as the chair of the Philadelphia Craft Show Committee.

Robert Fox is the chairman and CEO of R.A.F. Industries, Inc., a private investment company acquiring and managing a diversified group of operating companies and venture capital investments. The Foxes have also endowed the Zena Fox Scholarship in Fine Arts, underwritten the creation of Moore’s Penny & Bob Fox Center for Digital Arts, Design and Print Media and generously supported Moore’s first capital campaign and expansion into Wilson Hall in 2000.

“Moore’s commitment to preparing students for careers in the visual arts is made possible through the gifted faculty who guide and inspire our students daily,” said Penny Fox. “Bob and I are so pleased to be able to honor our faculty and to provide additional resources for five students annually to creatively pursue their career aspirations.”