田纳西大学以康普顿夫妇命名1.08亿美元学生成功中心：董事会通过留校率与四年毕业率双创纪录
诺克斯维尔——据《诺克斯维尔新闻哨兵报》10 月 17 日报道，田纳西大学系统董事会 10 月 16 日在诺克斯维尔举行的秋季会议上一致通过，将一座造价 1.08 亿美元、正在建设中的学生成功大楼命名为「康普顿学生成功中心」（Compton Center for Student Success），以纪念约翰·康普顿（John Compton）与辛迪·康普顿（Cindy Compton）夫妇对该校的一笔捐赠。捐赠金额未予披露。约翰·康普顿身兼田纳西大学系统董事会主席，在表决时回避。该中心计划于 2027 年 8 月启用，将把与学生成功相关的多项服务集中于一处，包括大一数学课程、学业与职业支持、大学荣誉项目，以及供师生交流的教师休息室。主管学生成功的资深副教务长安布尔·威廉姆斯（Amber Williams）说，新楼投入使用后，这些服务的规模「至少翻一倍」。
约翰·康普顿 1983 年毕业于田纳西大学金融专业，曾任百事公司（含桂格、菲多利与百事可乐北美业务）总裁，其后短暂出任 Pilot Flying J 首席执行官，2013 年起任克雷顿-杜比利尔-赖斯公司（Clayton, Dubilier & Rice）合伙人；他 2018 年起任田大系统董事、现为董事会主席。辛迪·康普顿来自德克萨斯州，毕业于斯蒂芬·F·奥斯汀州立大学。
康普顿在会上说，田大 2026 年秋季的数据创下两项纪录——留校率 93.1%、四年毕业率 71.4%，按留校率与毕业率每提升一个百分点相当于约 1,100 万美元「价值创造」估算，两项指标的改善大致相当于 1.1 亿美元，与大楼造价相当。「很少能找到一年就能回本的资本投资，」他说。「我们把这看作一笔世代性的投资……我们的名字会写在这栋楼上。我们对学生与教职工的承诺是：会有人站出来，我们夫妇会永远在这里——轮到你们的时候，你们会成为下一批站出来的人；将来有一天，他们的孩子也会接过接力棒。」辛迪 ·康普顿称这笔捐赠是「我们最引以为傲的礼物之一」。
这笔捐赠计入田大「志愿者成就志愿者」（It Takes a Volunteer）筹款运动，该运动目标是在 2030 年前为诺克斯维尔校区筹集 35 亿美元。
University of Tennessee Names $108 Million Student Success Center for the Comptons; Retention and Four-Year Graduation Rates Hit Records
Knoxville — The University of Tennessee System Board of Trustees voted unanimously at its fall meeting in Knoxville on October 16 to name a $108 million student success building under construction the Compton Center for Student Success, in honor of a donation from John and Cindy Compton, Knox News reported on October 17. The size of the gift was not disclosed. John Compton, who chairs the UT System board, recused himself from the vote.
The center, scheduled to open in August 2027, will bring student success services together under one roof, including first-year mathematics courses, academic and career support, the University Honors program and a faculty lounge. Amber Williams, senior vice provost for student success, said the services would "at least double" once the building opens.
John Compton graduated from UT with a finance degree in 1983 and went on to serve as president of PepsiCo — including Quaker, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola North America — followed by a brief stint as CEO of Pilot Flying J, before joining the private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice as a partner in 2013. He has served as a UT trustee since 2018 and now chairs the board. Cindy Compton is a Texas native and a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University.
Compton told the meeting that UT set two records in fall 2026 — a 93.1 percent retention rate and a 71.4 percent four-year graduation rate — and that, valuing each percentage point of improvement at roughly $11 million of "value creation," the gains amount to about $110 million, roughly the cost of the building. "Rarely do you find a capital investment that can pay back in a year," he said. "We view this as a generational investment... Our name is going on that building. Our commitment to the students and faculty is that there's going to be somebody here, and the two of us will be here forever, and when it's your turn, you're going to be the next person to step up and do it... One day their children will carry the torch." Cindy Compton called the gift "one of our most prideful gifts."
The donation counts toward UT's "It Takes a Volunteer" campaign, which aims to raise $3.5 billion for the Knoxville campus by 2030.
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图片来源：图：田纳西大学诺克斯维尔校区南学院楼（South College Building）资料照片，非在建的康普顿学生成功中心。照片：w_lemay／Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 2.0）。File photo: South College Building, University of Tennessee, Knoxville — not the Compton Center under construction. Photo: w_lemay / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
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