NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Leadership studies professor Christopher Newport has awarded the university $3 million, the largest gift in the school’s history focused on sustainability.

On behalf of his family’s endowment, Dr. Benjamin Redekop donated this amount to honor his parents, Calvin and Freda Redekop.

The $1 million contribution for each of three years will support programs and infrastructure that will save the university money and propel it on a path to net-zero environmental health, according to a release.

“Here at CNU, we owe it to all of our constituents to be good stewards of our natural and financial resources, and I am delighted that the Redekop family can play a role in making CNU more sustainable, with sustainability defined as “ the capacity to act socially. and ecological systems to thrive together in perpetuity,” Redekop said.

Redekop also credited President William G. Kelly with inspiring the growth of a culture of sustainability.

“I am deeply grateful to Dr. Redekop and the Redekop Family Endowment for this gift that will have a lasting impact on the University, the community and the Commonwealth,” said President Kelly. “Ben is an effective and admired professor who generously devotes his time and talent to numerous academic projects and, through philanthropy, makes our campus a model of sustainability. In this region that includes rivers, bays and ocean, the Redekop Family Endowment will help us demonstrate that we are a good neighbor, eager to protect our beautiful corner of the world.

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