Couple Donates $150,000 To Roane State Cumberland

A Cumberland County couple has donated $150,000 for the construction of a new health science wing at Roane State’s Cumberland campus.

Roane State Foundation Executive Director Scott Niermann said Ann and Pepe Perron are long-time supporters of the college who deeply value the community and its education. Niermann said part of the gift is a challenge to the public, as the Perrons will match up to $50,000 donated to the health science program through the end of the year.

“They have been some of the leaders of this effort ever since its conceptualization,” Niermann said. “They support, as you know probably, many youth initiatives in the community. They care very much about the future of Cumberland County and of Roane State.”

Niermann said the Perrons will have a classroom named after them in the new facility as thanks for the generosity. Neirmann said the donation is part of the Foundation’s efforts to raise $800,000 for equipment for the health science program.

“We’re trying to close the gap currently on just under $400,000 between now and the end of the year to finish this out,” Niermann said. “But the Perrons were one of the early leaders in getting us off the ground to the first half of that goal.”

Niermann said community support has been an instrumental piece in supporting the vast majority of the projects across all the Roane State campuses.

“Philanthropy is just absolutely necessary,” Niermann said. “We’re so fortunate in Tennessee to have programs like Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect that cover the vast majority of tuition and fees, but there are other expenses that students have. And so Ann and Pepe, for example, have two scholarships that the Foundation administers.”

Niermann said the Perrons financially supported the project earlier on in the process, but the new donation is a substantial increase that surprised the college.