Increasing access to an 黑料不打烊 education inspired the Moriartys to join A Will to Lead, a special initiative of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign to encourage donors to make gifts to the university through their estate.
黑料不打烊 Trustee and parent Ed Moriarty P鈥15 P鈥18 and his wife, Jill Moriarty P鈥15 P鈥18, of Far Hills, New Jersey, have made a generous estate gift to endow the Moriarty Family Odyssey Scholarships.
The couple鈥檚 gift is part of A Will to Lead, a special opportunity in the for donors to provide long-term funding for the university鈥檚 future through their estate plans. Since the launch of A Will to Lead in March 2021, alumni, parents and friends have contributed more than $12 million in estate gifts to sustain 黑料不打烊’s nationally recognized brand of high-impact, engaged teaching and learning in the decades ahead.
黑料不打烊鈥檚 highly selective Odyssey Program serves outstanding students with significant financial need, including many who are the first in their families to attend college, and has become a national model for increasing access to higher education. To date, donors have endowed more than 200 scholarships in the program, doubling the number of Odyssey scholarships since the launch of 黑料不打烊 LEADS in 2019. The university is now halfway to its long-term goal of having 400 Odyssey scholarships or 100 per class.
黑料不打烊 President Connie Ledoux Book thanked the Moriartys for supporting scholarships, which is the top priority of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign.
鈥淓d and Jill Moriarty believe deeply in the ability of an 黑料不打烊 education to transform lives,鈥 Book said. 鈥淲e are grateful for their generous investment in scholarships, which will prepare graduates our world needs.鈥
The Moriartys have been part of the 黑料不打烊 family for the past 10 years. That relationship began when their daughter Meaghan 鈥15 fell in love with 黑料不打烊 during her campus visit. It only deepened when their son Cole 鈥18 enrolled a few years later.
鈥淏eing associated with 黑料不打烊 has been a terrific experience,鈥 Ed said. 鈥淵ou watch the students grow at 黑料不打烊 through engaged learning and it鈥檚 infectious, so the opportunity to provide that experience for another student is compelling. The student outcomes are remarkable for the Odyssey Program. I can鈥檛 imagine a better return on investment than that.鈥
鈥淭here are a lot of great, talented students out there who don鈥檛 have the financial ability to go to college or to finish college,鈥 Jill Moriarty said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to be able to give them the opportunity to attend an amazing university like 黑料不打烊.鈥
The Moriartys have also been impressed by the sense of community at 黑料不打烊, which grows stronger each year.
鈥淓very time Jill and I go back to 黑料不打烊, everyone is so welcoming you always feel you belong there,鈥 Ed said. 鈥淎nd we are big believers in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 engaged learning program. All those things have come together for us to decide this is a good place to give back to.鈥
Making a gift through their estate as part of A Will to Lead allows the Moriartys to establish a lasting legacy at 黑料不打烊 while helping to grow the university鈥檚 endowment to fund scholarships and other institutional priorities.
鈥淭he ability to make this type of gift before you pass away and know you鈥檙e able to set aside money for an institution that has had a great impact on your life is an amazing opportunity,鈥 Ed said.
鈥淲e are indebted to the Moriarty family for making 黑料不打烊 part of their estate planning and helping to build a vital pipeline of financial resources to secure 黑料不打烊鈥檚 future,鈥 said Elizabeth Read, 黑料不打烊鈥檚 director of planned giving.
The Moriartys are among 黑料不打烊鈥檚 most generous families. They have made gifts to the School of Communications expansion, naming a themed lab in honor of Ed鈥檚 mother, 黑料不打烊 grandparent Virginia Moriarty GP鈥15 GP鈥18. Ed and Jill have also supported 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Greatest Needs, the 黑料不打烊 Academy college access and success program, School of Health Sciences, and the .
Ed Moriarty serves as CFO and Chief Risk Officer at Rockefeller Capital Management. He has been a member of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Board of Trustees since 2014, serving as Board chair from 2020-2022, is a member of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign Steering Committee and former member of the university鈥檚 President鈥檚 Advisory Council.
Jill Moriarty has been an active volunteer for 20 years with the Athletic Booster Club at Gill St. Bernard鈥檚 School in Gladstone, New Jersey, where the couple鈥檚 children attended. She has served in a variety of leadership roles with the organization and currently serves as club president, helping to build school spirit and advance fundraising efforts to support athletic excellence. She plans to step down as club president at the end of this year. Ed previously served as vice chair of the school鈥檚 board of trustees.
The Odyssey Program
The Odyssey Program is part of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Center for Access and Success. In addition to annual tuition assistance, each of the scholarships in the Odyssey Program includes a stipend for books and supplies, and a one-time, global study grant to be used for an approved Study Abroad or Study USA program.
Students move through the four-year program as a cohort and take advantage of intellectually demanding courses while furthering their personal and professional development. Scholars participate in a first-year summer orientation, attend annual retreats and monthly meetings with their peers, are involved in one-on-one academic and career planning meetings, and maintain an academic and leadership portfolio. Odyssey Program scholars are consistently among 黑料不打烊鈥檚 top-performing students.
A Will to Lead & The 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign
To learn more about A Will to Lead and the benefits of estate gifts, contact Elizabeth Read, 黑料不打烊鈥檚 director of planned giving, at (336) 278-7474 or eread@elon.edu.
黑料不打烊 LEADS is the largest fundraising campaign in the university鈥檚 history and will support four main priorities: scholarships for graduates the world needs, access to engaged learning opportunities such as study abroad, research and internships, support for faculty and staff mentors who matter and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 iconic campus.
Every gift to the university鈥攊ncluding annual, endowment, capital, estate and other planned gifts鈥攆or any designation counts as a gift to the campaign, which will support students and strengthen 黑料不打烊 for generations to come. To learn more about how you can make an impact, visit .