Contact: Carl Nathe

In December 2003, BB&T Corporation and the BB&T Charitable Foundation each pledged $1,250,000 to the Gatton College for a combined total of $2.5 million. UK graduate C.M. “Bill” Gatton, the college’s namesake and member of BB&T’s board, matched the BB&T gift, also pledging $2.5 million.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 22, 2005) -- The chair and CEO of one of America’s largest financial holding companies will address students, faculty, and staff of the Gatton College of Business and Economics, as well as other members of the University of Kentucky campus community and the public at 1 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 28 in Memorial Hall.

John Allison, BB&T Chairman and CEO, will speak on the topic of leadership and values. “At BB&T, we believe competitive advantage is in the minds of individuals, founded on the premise that knowledge, properly applied, is the source of superior performance. The Gatton College is a business school of the highest quality, committed to teaching its students to become innovative, independent thinkers prepared to deal with complex issues in a rapidly changing, unpredictable world.”

BB&T is a fast growing, highly profitable financial holding company with approximately $100 billion in assets, operating more than 1,400 banking offices in 11 states, including Kentucky, and the District of Columbia.

In December 2003, BB&T Corporation and the BB&T Charitable Foundation each pledged $1,250,000 to the Gatton College for a combined total of $2.5 million. UK graduate C.M. “Bill” Gatton, the college’s namesake and member of BB&T’s board, matched the BB&T gift, also pledging $2.5 million.

BB&T’s commitment is designated to help the Gatton College build new facilities and to create and maintain the BB&T Learning Laboratory on Capitalism.