College honors supporters, confers honorary degree
April 30, 2024
April 30, 2024
NEWBERRY — Newberry College honored several key supporters Friday night, expressing gratitude for continued service and support of the institution. The honors included induction into the John Bachman Founders Society and an honorary degree.
The society was established in 2015 to recognize and honor individuals, churches, foundations and corporations who have made significant contributions to the college. The distinguished member award is the highest honor bestowed upon a benefactor of the college, and it pays tribute to the recipients’ exceptional generosity, dedication and civic vision.
This year’s recipients of the distinguished member award are Billye and Peggie West.
Despite not graduating from Newberry College, the Wests have supported the institution for decades as longtime members of the Newberry College Athletic Club, major supporters of the Newberry Fund, which provides institutional scholarships and operations, and key contributors toward the Darby Nursing & Health Science Center. Billye West has also served on the Board of Trustees and received an honorary doctorate in business in 2014.
The Wests reside in Newberry and the couple has five children.
The college also presented Bruce A. Brumfield, president and CEO of Founders Federal Credit Union, with an honorary doctorate in community and athletic development.
In 2022, Newberry College and Founders entered into a historic $2.5 million partnership which has provided financial services for students, faculty and staff, including an on-campus branch and ATM, financial literacy curriculum, and completed and named the Founders Federal Credit Union Field House at the athletic stadium. The ribbon was cut on the 18,000-square-foot facility in September 2023, and the same ribbon was framed and presented to Brumfield along with the degree. The field house has provided well-needed space for Wolves athletics, including locker rooms, offices and reception areas, as the second of three phases of stadium renovations.
Brumfield has been with the credit union since 1988, and he has served as CEO since 2003. Under his leadership, Founders has grown to over $4 billion in assets, over 260,000 members, 40 locations and 826 employees. It is one of the strongest credit unions in the nation. Brumfield chairs the board of trustees for the Lancaster County Commission for Higher Education and serves on the board of directors for the Springs Close Foundation.
Brumfield resides in Lancaster with his wife, Michelle, and the couple has two children and three grandchildren.