SALISBURY — Catawba College received a gift of $500,000 to support the college’s history department. It is the largest gift the department has ever received. 

The gift provides additional scholarship funding for students majoring or minoring in history and also supports faculty development. This support allows the faculty to explore expanded class offerings in the department. 

“This generous gift is going to help us keep working with more great students who love history,” said Dr. Anne Marie Martin, chair of Catawba’s history department. “We have a passion for history, and this gives us the opportunity to share it. History helps us understand connections and influences, patterns and culture, what happened and why, and that applies to what we see taking place around us today. In so many places, subjects like history are being devalued, and we’re so appreciative that is not the case at Catawba.”