Methodist University received its largest monetary gift in the history of the school this past weekend. 

Included in the $14 million dollar gift is $1.5 million designated for the Methodist’s nursing program and facility. Twelve million dollars will go toward scholarships. 

“The nursing program at MU is continually expanding along with the need for highly trained nursing professionals,” said Shannon Matthews, director of the MU nursing program. “For more than a decade we’ve been offering students a hands-on learning environment — including a nursing building with its own 10,000-square-foot simulation hospital — and we couldn’t be more grateful for this gift to help us make this unique, state-of-the-art program even more affordable through additional scholarships for our outstanding students.”

The gift comes from the estate of Robert J. Chaffin of Fayetteville who passed away in May. Chaffin’s career was spent working with Commercial Credit Corporation in Lumberton and Fayetteville, Cross Creek Savings and Loan in Fayetteville, and East Coast Federal Savings and Loan in Fayetteville.

“This remarkably generous gift demonstrates the extent to which the path we are taking as a faith-based university, rooted in the liberal arts but with strong professional programs, is both appreciated and valued,” said MU President Stanley T. Wearden in a press release. “Our willingness to adapt to workforce development and professional needs, while also holding strong to our mission and values, has put Methodist University in a position to succeed for decades.

“Mr. Chaffin clearly was not looking for attention to his generosity during his lifetime. Quietly, very much behind the scenes, he was working on building a highly successful financial portfolio for the purpose of one day making a transformative gift to the University,” he said. “While we knew he had established a bequest for the University, Mr. Chaffin never shared the full extent with us nor asked for any thanks in return.” 

Local businessman and Chair of the Methodist University Board of Trustees Mac Healy noted that the large financial gift will create opportunities for campus improvement and education for many students. 

“The Board of Trustees at Methodist University has long wanted to grow our endowment and Mr. Chaffin’s gift is foundational as we launch a campaign for that purpose and continue to make MU affordable to all who desire our commitment to a mission-based education that prepares students to be both successful professionals and capable moral actors in the world,” said Healy. “This gift and others through the campaign will support all of our students, including greater scholarship support and improved campus facilities.”

Methodist University’s Student Government President Daniel Magen is one of many students who receive financial aid at the school. “That a private institution with one of the best faculty-to-student ratios in the state can be as affordable as the big state schools shows me we’re investing in our students, both in our present and in our futures. MU students are so grateful to all who make Methodist University such an amazing value for us,” Magen said.