Priscilla Payne Hurd Club (est. 2012)

$1,000,000-$2,499,999

Throughout her life, Priscilla Payne Hurd* committed herself to service to others. She made a tremendous difference in the lives of generations of Moravian University students. Her selfless generosity was the inspiration for the inaugural level of lifetime giving, the Priscilla Payne Hurd Society, in 2012. Nearly 10 years later, Priscilla’s generosity was the inspiration for the Via Lucis Society, which celebrates all of our donors and families whose total giving to Moravian exceeds $100,000 during their lifetime.

Priscilla Payne Hurd’s appointment to the Board of Trustees in 1974 profoundly impacted the university through her dedicated service, inspirational leadership, and generous financial support. Priscilla exemplified the credo she wrote early in her philanthropic leadership career: “No one is greater than the service she renders the world.”

In 1999, Priscilla was elected Moravian’s first female chair of the Board, and in 2006 she received an honorary degree. During her tenure as Board chair, the university underwent extensive renovation and expansion of its infrastructure, the addition of innovative curricular and co-curricular programs such as the Learning in Common curriculum and the Leadership Center, and unprecedented growth of its student body.

Due to her generosity and leadership, Moravian’s South Campus is named the Priscilla Payne Hurd Campus. She created the Priscilla Payne Hurd Center for Music and Art and the Frank E. and Seba B. Payne Gallery, provided financial leadership for constructing the Priscilla Payne Hurd Academic Complex, and established the Priscilla Payne Hurd Chair in the Arts and Humanities. In addition, Priscilla established the Ervin J. Rokke Endowment for Student-Faculty Research.

Moravian University is grateful for Priscilla’s extraordinary leadership, dedication, and support. She will always be a beacon of light for everyone her philanthropy touches.

*Deceased