CANTON -- St. Lawrence University received a donation from a Laurentian couple to endow a permanent teaching position in the Department of Government.

Michael Ranger ’80 and his wife, Virginia, have established the Michael W. Ranger ’80 and Virginia R. Ranger P’17 Professorship in Government.

Michael Ranger is a St. Lawrence trustee and senior managing director at Diamond Castle Holdings in New York City. He will co-chair St. Lawrence’s upcoming comprehensive campaign. In making the gift, Michael Ranger cited his sincere appreciation for the remarkable teachers in the department who had a profound role in shaping his college experience.

“Virginia and I believe contributing to an endowment will help ensure the future for the programs that define St. Lawrence,” Ranger said. “On a personal note, the strong teaching and mentoring I experienced in the Government Department as a student prepared me for professional life. My experience with (Professor Emeritus of Government) Robert Wells especially has been a lifelong inspiration for me.”

Since the 1980s, Michael and Virginia Ranger have supported St. Lawrence with gifts to the St. Lawrence Fund, the Sabra Bartlett ’74 North Country Scholarship, the Robert “Ax” Axtell Scholarship, the Daniel F. ’65 and Ann H. Sullivan Endowment for Student-Faculty Research, and the Kirk Douglas Residence Hall.

In 1993, they established the Michael W. Ranger ’80 and Virginia Ray Ranger Scholarship, which has made possible 67 scholarship awards to 19 St. Lawrence students.

“There is no greater way to extol the gift of a St. Lawrence education than to recognize the magic of powerful teaching with a gift of one’s own later in life,” President William L. Fox ’75 said. “Mike Ranger never forgot the people who truly kindled his mind and curiosity. And Virginia Ranger has seen that same power in the campus experiences of her children. Together, their personal expressions of gratitude and belief inspire all of us as we plan St. Lawrence’s largest comprehensive campaign in history.”

The Michael W. Ranger ’80 and Virginia R. Ranger P’17 Professorship in Government will support an existing senior government faculty member in the department. Senior faculty in government may apply and be considered for the professorship. The faculty member selected by the University’s Faculty Professional Standards Committee and President will serve a seven-year term.

For more information, contact 229-5585.