January 7, 2009

RICHMOND, Va. — The Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion Resources, is providing Virginia Intermont College with a grant of $300,000 over three years to support the programs of this Southwest Virginia institution.

"We're very grateful to Dominion for this generous gift," said Michael J. Puglisi, president of Virginia Intermont College. "The support of Dominion represents a major donation to the college and will help us fulfill our mission to the people of Southwest Virginia."

Virginia Intermont College is a private liberal arts school that is affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia. Founded in 1884 as a two-year college for women, Virginia Intermont College is today a four-year coeducational institution that will celebrate its 125th anniversary this year.

"Dominion is pleased to provide this contribution to Virginia Intermont," said William C. Hall Jr. , vice president-Corporate Communications and president of the Dominion Foundation. "It is vitally important for businesses to support education at all levels, especially at our colleges and universities from which we will get our next generation of employees."

Located in Bristol in the Appalachian hills of Southwest Virginia, Virginia Intermont draws nearly one-third of its more than 500 full- and part-time students from the primarily rural region. Many of the students represent the first generation of their families to attend college, and many depend on financial assistance.

The college focuses its educational efforts on creatively mixing core academic courses, a wide variety of extracurricular activities and opportunities for students to gain real-world experience through internships, fieldwork and community service. Preston Gannaway, a 2000 Virginia Intermont graduate, was awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for feature photography.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 27,000 megawatts of generation. The company is also building the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center in Southwest Virginia. Dominion serves retail energy customers in 12 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com.

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