Davidson College recently announced it received a $45 million gift from the Duke Endowment to re-envision its campus, taking a neighborhood approach to foster a stronger academic community. Since its inception in 1924, the Duke Endowment, a private foundation based out of Charlotte, North Carolina, has provided rural churches, higher education, children and healthcare programs with $2.9 billion.

Starting in 2013, Davidson College will embark on a 10-year plan to turn its campus into an academic neighborhood that will support interactions between students, professors, researchers and staff for a more robust community that will turn out well-rounded academics.

"To stay ahead of these changes, we need to shift how we work, both physically and intellectually. This bold campus plan will enable our exceptional faculty to create a curriculum centered on students doing original work... (and) build bridges between learning and life," said Davidson College president Carol Quillen.

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