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The main library on the campus of ��������Ƶ will enjoy a bright future of community, innovation and education thanks to a $5.3 million gift by longtime supporters Joy and Michael Rave of New Bern and Winston-Salem. The will also bear a new name: The Joy and Michael Rave Library and Learning Commons.

It is the largest single gift to support libraries in ��������Ƶ history and comes as the ��������Ƶ Library celebrates the 10-year anniversary of its opening on Sept. 24, 2015.

“We are moved and delighted by this transformative gift from Joy and Michael,” said ��������Ƶ Chancellor Brian Cole. “Libraries are such important places in our society, and their gift will help bring artists together and provide vital spaces and programs for their intellectual and artistic growth. The Raves are giving us the resources we need to reimagine the role of libraries in a 21st century arts conservatory.” 

Students at the ��������Ƶ Library / Photo: Raunak Kapoor

The Raves, who have been supporters of ��������Ƶ since 2004, say the gift is a way for them to support new generations of artists while also demonstrating their love of libraries as repositories and disseminators of knowledge and convening spaces for people of many backgrounds.

“Our gift is rooted in our love for ��������Ƶ, the Winston-Salem community, and the artists who work every day to elevate the arts and refine their skills on the university’s campus,” said Michael Rave, who is a cardiologist and U.S. Army veteran who spent 30 years in various medical roles in the military, including as director of medical education and director of clinical research.

“The school is so unique in its mission, with students from different disciplines all in one place to convene and talk to each other and feed off each other,” he continued. “The synergy is exciting! We see the library as a fulcrum for that convening.”

Students at the ��������Ƶ Library / Photo: Raunak Kapoor

“A campus library is a venue for gatherings of students, faculty and community,” said Joy Rave, who is a visual artist who works primarily in abstract acrylics. “We see libraries as not only places of learning and creativity, but also as places for people to come together.”

The gift will directly support enhanced library programming and resources, including a wide range of events and workshops for the campus and community, updated technology, a sensory space for students, and expanded loanable tech offerings from the library’s , such as lighting equipment, green screens, and wellness and focus tools like white-noise machines.

“I can’t think of a better way for our library to enter its second decade than with this generous, thoughtful investment from the Raves,” said University Librarian . “The Raves truly love learning and community, and they know that libraries are crucial gathering places in our society and on our campus. Their gift will help us to make this space an even more joyful, peaceful, innovative environment for our students and faculty, and will help us find new ways to extend the reach of the library well beyond the walls of this beautiful building, enhancing the academic and artistic pursuits of ��������Ƶ students, faculty and staff wherever they are.”

Students at the ��������Ƶ Library / Photo: Raunak Kapoor

The Raves discovered ��������Ƶ and Winston-Salem when their daughter, Anastasia, attended the high school program at ��������Ƶ for classical guitar. “We fell in love with the city and fell in love with the school,” said Joy. “We got to know students from different programs, and they were all so unique and came from all backgrounds, and at ��������Ƶ, they found a place where they belonged.”

The Raves’ gift includes current-use funds, an endowment, and an estate gift. It comes as ��������Ƶ prepares for an upcoming comprehensive campaign, which will be fueled by strategic initiatives such as the careful evolution of libraries to support the changing needs of a modern conservatory education.

“There are probably many people out there who want to give, but they don’t know how, or they don’t know that it’s possible for them,” said Michael. “But through our discussions, we realized that this was something that was doable. We just feel so good about this gift, because we’re able to accomplish it now, and see the benefits to the school right away.”

“I think it’s important for others to see that a gift structure of this sort exists,” said Joy. “There’s a wonderful opportunity to structure your gift this way, and see changes during your lifetime, while you can enjoy it.”

The ��������Ƶ Library will begin to transition to its new name over the course of the next year, with an official renaming celebration tentatively scheduled for fall 2026. 

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