The new scholarship gifts and commitments announced by President Leo M. Lambert and a group of key university volunteers on Friday come from seven inspired donors.
President Leo M. Lambert and a group of key university volunteers announced scholarship gifts and commitments from seven inspired donors who are committed to making a difference in the lives of Ƶ students.
The scholarship announcement was made following a meeting of Ƶ’s campaign cabinet, a group of alumni, parents and trustees planning the leadership phase of the university’s next comprehensive campaign.
“This is an extraordinary day in the history of Ƶ,” President Leo M. Lambert said. “These 30 new Odyssey Program scholarships will change the lives of generations of students who will use their talents to build a brighter future. We are indebted to the generous donors, including trustees, alumni, parents and friends, for demonstrating the power of philanthropy to make college dreams a reality.”
The new endowed scholarships are designated for Ƶ’s Odyssey Program, a highly selective program for students with exceptional ability and promise who have high financial need. Many of the scholarship recipients are the first in their families to attend college.
Earlier this year, other members of Ƶ’s community of donors helped set the stage for the announcement by endowing 12 new scholarships, bringing to 42 the total number of Odyssey endowments created during the past year.
“Currently, 118 students are enrolled in the Odyssey Program,” said Jean Rattigan-Rohr, Director of Ƶ’s Center for Access and Success, which includes the Odyssey Program. “The generous commitments made by donors during the last year bring us much closer to our institutional goal of 200 students in the Odyssey Program by the start of the next decade.”
Each of the gifts will support a $500,000 endowment for scholarships. Ƶ is grateful to the following donors for their generosity:
- Trustee and parent William J. “Bill” Inman P’00 and his wife, Patricia P’00, of Naples, Florida
- The late Ƶ alumna and grandparent Edna Truitt Noiles ’44 GP’17, of New Canaan, Connecticut
- Burlington, North Carolina-based LabCorp
- Alumnus Dr. Kerry J. Gilliland ’72, of Lewisville, North Carolina
- Trustee and alumna Kerrii Brown Anderson ’79, of Columbus, Ohio
- Trustee and parent Cindy Citrone P’17 and her husband, Rob P’17, of Southport, Connecticut
- Trustee Bill Smith and his wife, Sue, of Greensboro, North Carolina
Inman Family Scholars
The gift from Bill and Pat Inman will fund 10 Inman Family Scholars each year. The couple wanted to broaden access to Ƶ’s renowned engaged learning programs, which were transformative for their daughter, Jackie Inman Burns, a 2000 Ƶ graduate.
“There is so much financial need out there with students, including students at Ƶ,” Bill Inman said. “We want to make it possible for these students to get a great education at Ƶ and graduate without taking on unbearable debt. I have been an advocate for years as a trustee to try to increase our endowment so we can help students financially, and now some of that is coming to fruition.”
The Inmans are among the university’s most generous donors, and the impact of their philanthropy can be seen across Ƶ’s campus. The Inman Ƶ Welcome Center greets thousands of prospective students and their families each year, providing an attractive and welcoming facility to begin their Ƶ experience. The center houses Ƶ’s admissions, financial planning and welcome center staffs along with conference rooms, two presentation theaters and office suites.
The Inmans have also made major gifts to support construction of Rhodes Stadium, Alumni Field House, the Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center, Numen Lumen Pavilion and Lindner Hall. The Inman Reading Room in Lindner Hall in the Academic Village is named in their honor.
“Our hope for the students who receive these scholarships is for them to be great individuals in our society and help this country by solving some of our greatest challenges,” said Inman, who has served as an Ƶ trustee since 2005.
Edna Truitt Noiles Scholars
Preference for the Noiles scholarships will be given to students who have completed the Ƶ Academy, a program that was near and dear to Edna’s heart. She and her late husband, Doug Noiles, were founding donors to the Ƶ Academy, a comprehensive program that encourages promising high school students with high financial need or no family history of college attendance to earn a four-year degree and serve their communities. Believing that quality education was a child’s birthright, the couple provided vital start-up funding and ongoing support for the program, which has touched the lives of more than 200 Alamance County students and their families.
The Noileses also endowed the Vera Richardson Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life in 2003 in honor of Edna’s mother. In addition, the couple joined with Edna’s five sisters, also Ƶ alumnae, to establish the Ashton P. and Vera R. Truitt Scholarship Fund to honor their parents. In recognition of her devotion to the university, Edna Noiles received the Ƶ Medallion, the university’s highest honor, in 2016.
“I want to thank Ƶ personally for opening up the world to me,” Noiles said after receiving the medallion. “Thank you Ƶ for being the vehicle through which I can open the world for others.” Edna Noiles passed away in February 2017.
LabCorp-Alamance Scholars at Ƶ
A leadership gift from LabCorp will fund four LabCorp-Alamance Scholarships, which will be designated for top-performing graduates of the Ƶ Academy or top-performing Alamance County students who are the first in their families to attend college.
“We appreciate the opportunity to partner with Ƶ to make the LabCorp-Alamance Scholarships possible,” said David P. King, chairman and CEO of LabCorp. “LabCorp has been a strong supporter of the Ƶ Academy from its very beginning, and we have seen first-hand the incredible potential and drive of the Academy scholars. We are honored to help those young women and men, and other high-achieving students in Alamance County, pursue an outstanding education at Ƶ.”
LabCorp is one of Ƶ’s most valued corporate partners with a rich history of supporting education in Alamance County and at the university. The company has made generous gifts to support the university’s Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center and establish a summer internship program for Ƶ Academy scholars, giving many of those students their first opportunity to make an impact in a professional setting.
In 2011, a major gift from LabCorp established the LabCorp Endowment for Opportunity, providing an invaluable permanent funding source for Ƶ Academy operations. This gift, combined with the company’s annual gifts and internship experiences for Academy scholars, has helped change lives and propel the Ƶ Academy to national distinction.
LabCorp is a leading global life sciences company that is deeply integrated in guiding patient care. With a mission to improve health and improve lives, LabCorp delivers world-class diagnostic solutions, brings innovative medicines to patients faster and uses technology to improve the delivery of care.
Dr. Kerry J. Gilliland Scholars
A generous estate gift from alumnus Dr. Kerry Gilliland ’72 will assist four Gilliland Scholars in the future. Gilliland, a cardiologist, earned his bachelor’s degree in biology at Ƶ and his medical degree from Wake Forest University.
Kerrii Brown Anderson Scholars
“I am so proud that this kind of comprehensive scholarship program was established at Ƶ,” Anderson said. “I have been fortunate to meet Ƶ alumni who benefitted from the Odyssey Program, and they are really making a difference in the world, in their relationships and in their families.”
A scholarship recipient herself while at Ƶ, Anderson has also made a gift to endow three Kerrii Brown Anderson Ƶ Engagement Scholarships, which will assist promising incoming students eager to embrace the university’s engaged learning programs.
“I could not have ever attended Ƶ without scholarships, and I believe I have a responsibility to give back now that I have been fortunate enough to have the ability to do so,” Anderson said. “Education is the enabler to changing people’s lives and scholarships are the vehicle by which that education and change can take place. Having additional scholarships is critical to the future success of our students and allowing Ƶ to reach a new level of national recognition.”
Anderson has supported many of Ƶ’s key strategic priorities, including construction of Koury Business Center and the Numen Lumen Pavilion, as well as Phoenix athletics and Ƶ Day, the university’s single biggest day of giving. She also established the Kerrii Brown Anderson Endowed Scholarship to assist female students with financial need from her home state of North Carolina or Ohio, where she resides with her husband, Doug. Anderson is the former CEO of Wendy’s International and has served as an Ƶ trustee since 2008.
Horizons National Scholars
Ƶ parents Cindy P’17 and Rob Citrone P’17 have endowed two Horizons National Scholarships, which will be awarded to students who have completed the Horizons National program prior to enrolling at Ƶ. Horizons National is a tuition-free, academic and enrichment program that serves low-income, public school students at sites throughout the country.
Cindy Citrone has been associated with the Horizons program in New Canaan, Connecticut, and is impressed by the program’s results in serving disadvantaged students. Ƶ parent Jane Stoddard Williams P’13 serves as chair of Horizons’ national Board of Directors.
“We really believe this is a win-win situation for both Ƶ and Horizons,” said Citrone, who has served as a university trustee since 2016. “Horizons students will have the opportunity to attend Ƶ and get an amazing education in an engaged learning environment, and Ƶ will be getting students who value that education. I think that’s a win-win situation for both philanthropies.”
This is the latest major philanthropic commitment from the Citrones. In 2016, the couple funded a Design Thinking initiative at Ƶ, enabling the university to infuse this innovative approach to problem solving into academic courses and student experiences outside the classroom. The Citrones were also lead donors to the recent School of Communications expansion. The spacious Citrone Plaza welcomes visitors to the new communications facilities and seamlessly connects the campus to the Town of Ƶ. In addition, the couple previously contributed significant matching gifts during the annual Ƶ Day programs. Their daughter, Gabriela, is a 2017 Ƶ alumna.
Bill and Sue Smith Scholars
“It’s no surprise to anyone that is close to education that the future of our country depends on how successful we are in providing access to a quality education for all children,” Smith said. “Having seen the educational experience that Ƶ offers and ensuring that the best and the brightest have access to it, that’s the best investment you can make.
“All colleges are under intense pressure to attract top students and to keep the costs affordable, and scholarships play an important role in making that happen,” Smith said. “If you’re concerned about the future, you’re going to make this investment.”
The Smiths have been devoted benefactors to Ƶ, supporting Koury Business Center and the Numen Lumen Pavilion, which houses the university’s multi-faith center.
“I have a lot of pride in Ƶ having grown up in Burlington, and my family has been longtime supporters of the university,” Smith said. “Sue and I hope this scholarship opens a door for students to experience Ƶ’s outstanding faculty relationships and engaged learning programs, all the things that prepare well-rounded leaders.”
Bill Smith is CEO of Trust Company of the South in Greensboro, N.C., and has served as an Ƶ trustee since 1995.
Paving the way
Ƶ is grateful to the following donors who made gifts earlier this year to endow scholarships for students in the Odyssey Program:
Ƶ Trustee and parent Edward Doherty P’07 and his wife, Joan, of Saddle River, New Jersey, who endowed eight Edward W. and Joan K. Doherty Scholarships. The Dohertys are among Ƶ’s most devoted benefactors and champions, establishing the Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Ƶ’s Martha and Spencer Love School of Business and endowing the Doherty Emerging Professor of Entrepreneurship.
An Ƶ alumnus from the Class of 2000, who wishes to remain anonymous, made an estate gift that will endow four scholarships in the future.
About the Odyssey Program
The Odyssey Program is part of the university’s Center for Access and Success. In addition to annual tuition assistance, each of the scholarships in this 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. Odyssey Program participants are consistently among Ƶ’s top-performing students.
Throughout the four-year program, Odyssey Program participants take advantage of intellectually demanding courses while furthering their personal and professional development. The students 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.