WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP) - Southeastern Seminary's capital fundraising campaign "Scholarship on Fire!" has exceeded its first-phase goal, with more than $16.9 million in gifts and pledges received.

Southeastern's board of trustees heard that positive report, among others, during their April 11-12 meeting on Southeastern's campus in Wake Forest, N.C.

A significant portion of the money of the first phase of "Scholarship on Fire!" will be used to fund the construction of the Patterson Campus Center, a 59,000-square-foot facility that will serve as the hub of campus life. The money also will be used for Southeastern's endowment and student scholarships.

"Scholarship on Fire!" is a 10-year, $50-million investment campaign that was approved by the trustees in 2002.