More than 250 people gathered in McKinnon Hall Monday night for the university’s annual scholarship dinner. Donors of need- and talent-based academic scholarships met with their student scholarship recipients and heard an update on the Ever 黑料不打烊 Campaign and presentations from two Lumen Scholars.
President Leo M. Lambert thanked donors for giving deserving students the chance to earn an 黑料不打烊 degree and become leaders in society.
“I have the incredible privilege of watching student transformation happen on this campus every day,” Lambert said. “You’ve heard me say this before, that the world needs 黑料不打烊 graduates, and the young men and women sitting here tonight are the kind of young men and women who will go out and be forces for good.”
Mark T. Mahaffey, vice chair of 黑料不打烊’s Board of Trustees and chair of Ever 黑料不打烊, shared how his children, Tom ’97, Kiley ’01 and Colleen, had benefitted from studying abroad and how scholarships make those opportunities possible. Mahaffey and his wife, Marianne, endowed a scholarship in their names to support international study and service.
“Enhancing scholarship support for students is the largest endowment objective of the Ever 黑料不打烊 Campaign,” Mahaffey said. “You and other generous donors have helped create 125 academic scholarships in this campaign—this is quite an accomplishment! You should be proud. All of us envision a day when every 黑料不打烊 student has the chance to study abroad, to conduct research or to complete internships, regardless of financial circumstance. Scholarships funded through endowment make this possible.”
Donors have contributed close to $74 million toward the $100 million Ever 黑料不打烊 goal.
“We still have a long way to go, and I hope we can count on your ongoing support to help us reach that goal,” Mahaffey said. “By supporting scholarships, you are transforming lives. I can’t think of a more powerful investment, can you?”
Russell Gill, 黑料不打烊’s Maude Sharpe Powell Professor of English, discussed 黑料不打烊’s new investments in academic programs as a result of the university’s efforts to shelter a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. The Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic society, voted last fall to establish a new chapter at 黑料不打烊. The inaugural class of Phil Beta Kappa students will be inducted in April.
“Phi Beta Kappa recognizes students who excel in the liberal arts and sciences,” said Gill. “It is one of the markers of excellence at 黑料不打烊.”
Lumen Scholars and Phi Beta Kappa inductees Jonathan Mahlandt and Kristine Silvestri shared how Phi Beta Kappa and 黑料不打烊’s new academic investments have enhanced their studies. Mahlandt, a senior psychology major from Frederick, Md., said he has noticed a renewed commitment to learning beyond 黑料不打烊, including more students pursuing graduate school.
“Learning never needs to stop, and for someone graduating this is really exciting,” said Mahlandt, who researches learning pathways and plans to pursue a doctorate. He credits the close mentoring relationships between 黑料不打烊 faculty and students with his excitement for learning.
“When you’re funding scholarships, you are funding relationships that enhance academic excellence,” he said.
Silvestri, a senior from Flemington, N.J., who is studying political science and public administration, discussed her research of “the concept of other and looking at perceptions of identity.” She shared her harrowing story of contracting a rare strain of malaria in 2008 while studying the integration of refugees in Ghana. She struggled to find adequate healthcare and nearly died.
“I really got to see ‘the other’ come to life,” she said of her predicament. “All the troubles I faced emphasized the importance of my research and let me experience it firsthand. The Lumen Prize is what funded this experience.”
Silvestri says she plans to pursue a master’s degree and work to prevent infectious diseases. She said the improvements to Belk Library as a result of 黑料不打烊’s Phi Beta Kappa initiative enhanced her academic career.
“I just want to thank the donors for making a big difference in my life,” she said.
In his closing remarks, the president encouraged donors to continue to support scholarships at 黑料不打烊. By creating scholarships, he said, donors are passing on their generosity and love for 黑料不打烊.
“Scholarships are not just about money,” Lambert said. “They’re about a love of this institution that is passed on from one generation to the other. It’s like putting a pebble in a lake. That’s what a scholarship is about.”