GLOBAL AWARENESS

ECU Chancellor and wife announce $100,000 commitment to fund international experiences

East Carolina University students will soon have access to additional international travel funding thanks to a commitment from Chancellor Cecil Staton and his wife, Catherine.

The Statons have made a $100,000 commitment to endow the Cecil P. Staton and Catherine D. Staton Study Abroad fund. The donation will support international travel and educational opportunities for ECU students.

“ECU is an extraordinary place that is filled with a world-class faculty and staff, and engaged students who share a strong and bold commitment to finding next generation solutions. Our students aspire to become leaders and public servants for the world they will inherit,” Staton said. “Catherine and I are excited to financially support this great institution by creating an endowment to fund one of our top priorities – global awareness and understanding.”

Catherine and Dr. Cecil Staton (Photo by Cliff Hollis)

Enhancing the internationalization of ECU through global academic initiatives to increase participation in study abroad while also bringing an international focus to activities on campus has been one of Staton’s top priorities since his selection as chancellor in 2016. The formal installation ceremony for Staton will be 10 a.m. Friday in Wright Auditorium.

As part of Installation Week, Pirate Nation Gives Back, the first stand-alone 24-hour period focused on service and philanthropy, is Wednesday. The day is designed to engage alumni, students, friends, faculty, staff and parents through the giving of their time, talent and treasure.

“Catherine and I wanted to participate in Pirate Nation Gives Back in a way that was meaningful to our family and to the ECU community. We invite all of Pirate Nation to join us in supporting the university and its motto – Servire, to serve – on this day of service and philanthropy,” said Staton. “I’ve always recognized my study abroad experience as an undergraduate as a defining point in my life. It led me eventually to do my doctoral work at the University of Oxford. On this day of service and philanthropy, I encourage all of us to do our part to ensure similar opportunities for future generations of Pirates.”

For a list of service and philanthropic opportunities associated with Pirate Nation Gives Back, visit www.ecu.edu/piratenationgives.