East Carolina University is better prepared to provide scholarships to more high-achieving students thanks to donor support of the institution’s new Chancellor’s Scholars Initiative.
Through this new initiative, more than 100 prospective Pirates from North Carolina received an offer in late January to attend ECU in the inaugural class of the Chancellor’s Scholar Program.
“Scholarship fundraising will fuel the university’s effort to recruit and retain gifted and great students, who we want to be Pirates,” Chancellor Philip Rogers said. “This ambitious initiative allows ECU to be laser-focused on student success and bolsters our ability to recruit exceptional, qualified students from across the country.”
The initiative provides four-year renewable scholarships of $2,500 to recruit and retain high-achieving students. Qualified students will be eligible to receive $10,000 in tuition and fees over four years, to live in a living learning community and to participate in programming, such as quarterly leadership and networking events with ECU leadership and alumni, coordinated by the Office of University Scholarships.
The goal of the new scholarship program is to have 75 additional in-state scholarship recipients attend ECU this fall. Similarly, newly created Voyagers scholarships aim to recruit 20 out-of-state scholarship students to campus.
Increased fundraising for scholarships and student initiatives is one way ECU is focused on its mission priority of student success. Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Christopher Dyba said the goal is to have 200 to 300 Chancellor’s Initiative scholarships annually.
“Fundraising for student success is our number one priority at university advancement,” Dyba said.
Opportunities to support the initiative have been championed by the Board of Trustees, Board of Visitors, and the ECU Foundation board, as well as foundations and individual donors.
Brad ’94 and Dr. Kim Crickmore Osborne ’96 ’10 have invested in the initiative by establishing the Mr. Brad Osborne and Dr. Kim Crickmore Osborne Chancellor’s Scholar Endowment, creating one of the scholarships offered this fall.
“Our goal in supporting this initiative is to highlight ECU’s reputation as a premier university to attract high-quality students,” Brad Osborne said. “This initiative affords us the opportunity to offer an annual scholarship — for four years — to high achieving students who are likely being offered scholarships at other competitive universities. Their success is ECU’s success.”
Brad Osborne serves on the ECU Foundation board and the Board of Visitors and holds a leadership position geared toward creating enhanced experiences for ECU students, families and faculty. Kim Osborne is a member of the ECU Women’s Roundtable. Through these organizations, the Osbornes have seen how donor investments create future success for ECU.
“A robust scholarship program speaks to ECU’s level of commitment to students and to the success of the university,” Kim Osborne said. “The Chancellor’s Scholarship Initiative is a key factor in touting the innovation and transformational characteristics of the university.”
This strategic fundraising effort also is designed to meet UNC System performance metrics, which directly impact state funding and help ensure the university’s long-term sustainability and growth. Campus leaders say the new scholarships are critical to the university’s efforts to prepare for a nationally competitive enrollment landscape.
“Enrollment is as competitive as it’s ever been. One of the key factors that prospective students are looking at is cost of attendance. This allows us to make ourselves much more competitive in that space,” said Dr. Allen Guidry, associate provost for learner operations. “We know we provide an exceptional learning experience for learners of a wide range of academic backgrounds and have done so for over 100 years. This scholarship initiative will introduce that extraordinary academic environment to many more new Pirate scholars. This effort helps in so many ways throughout the student journey from freshmen year to graduation day.”
Guidry said university data show that students like those who will be Chancellor’s and Voyagers scholars not only represent fertile ground for attracting new Pirates but also will likely persist and graduate at higher levels. That would lead to improved university performance on UNC System performance metrics creating additional value to the investment in these students, and enhance a key area of the ECU student success agenda.
Guidry said the opportunity to provide scholarships through the Chancellor’s Scholars Initiative removes a barrier for students, who won’t have to wonder how they can pay for college. “They can focus on continuing their journey of academic excellence. We will have some alumni that will do some amazing things, elevating themselves and enhancing the reputation of Pirate Nation, as a result of this initiative,” Guidry said.
“We would not be close to being able to provide this opportunity if it weren’t for our incredible Pirates who have committed their resources to make this happen,” Guidry said. “We have the best alumni in the world who know and are passionate about the real value of an ECU education. Their selflessness in providing the same opportunity to others is example No. 1 of what this institution is all about.”
