Scholarship investment builds student success

Ashley Austin and Nick Tait are two of 186 profiles of student success being created by the Chancellor’s Scholars initiative at East Carolina University. Austin, Tait and their fellow Chancellor’s Scholars shared their successes at a luncheon on Sept. 11 with alumni, donors and university leaders.

The scholarship program is helping to shape the future of ECU by creating and providing four-year $2,500 scholarships for 75 incoming students each year.

East Carolina University sophomore Ashley Austin answers a question from Chris Dyba, vice chancellor for university advancement at the Chancellor’s Scholars luncheon. (Photo by Dan Hunt)

Austin, a sophomore from Youngsville, said receiving a Chancellor’s Scholarship gave her a chance to live a college life. She is majoring in neuroscience and psychology, has had opportunities to participate in clubs and has joined a sorority.

“I come from a single-parent household. My mom is my rock, and she’s the only person that has really been supporting me through this whole process. [When I was] picking a college, my only concern was what I could do to help her,” Austin said. “Being able to be a part of this scholarship is what brought me here, and that’s how I could help her. It was just a little bit less stress for her. Not only do I have support through this program, and all the wonderful people that I have met, [my mom] doesn’t have as much stress as she would if I didn’t have this opportunity.”

Chancellor Philip Rogers describes stories like Austin’s as the inspiration for the scholarship initiative and an example of the challenges families are facing with higher education.

“We are here because of you. You are why so many people in this room have invested their time, their resources and their energy in the Chancellor Scholars program. And we are deeply, deeply proud of you,” Rogers said. “We have talented students who have more choices about where they will pursue [their] college opportunities. We know that one of the most important ways that we can aggressively compete is by making an ECU educational experience more affordable for the students and the people that we serve.”

Rogers said it is also a priority of the initiative to make sure that once students choose ECU, they not only have access to the institution, but they have the support structures that they need to move through their educational experiences, finish on time and to be able to go out and get a great job in the world.

Initiative Growth

The first two cohorts of Chancellor’s Scholars have been recruited to ECU with a combination of annually funded and endowed scholarships. The university has set a goal to have 300 endowed scholarships by 2028.

A $5 million commitment by the state of North Carolina is bolstering the initiative by matching gifts that create fully funded scholarship endowments. The allocation from the North Carolina General Assembly is being used to match each gift of $31,250, or multiple thereof, to create fully funded Chancellor’s Scholars endowments. Additionally, the ECU Foundation has committed to ensuring the success of the initiative.

Rogers thanked the ECU Foundation and donors who created the momentum that made the public investment possible.

“An annual invested scholarship changes the life of a student today. An endowed scholarship creates an opportunity year after year, generation after generation, in perpetuity,” Rogers said. “Long after all of us have left, those endowments will still bring talented students to ECU and serve them in the future. That’s how you build something that’s lasting. And we’ve made tremendous progress.”

Eighty-seven endowments have been funded since 2024, more than a dozen are in process of completing paperwork and many more gift conversations are underway.

“Now we have an opportunity, and we have a responsibility as stewards of this great institution to push it forward even further,” Rogers said. “Together, we have an opportunity to build something that will shape East Carolina University in a generational way.”

Investing in Students

Because of scholarship investment, Nicholas Tait, from Winston-Salem, plans to be the first person in his family to graduate from a four-year college.

“I would like to be the first person in my family to not only graduate from a four-year university, but also attend graduate school and pursue my dream and be an orthodontist,” Tait said. “I’d also like to continue being a role model for my brothers who now want to attend a four-year university, that being East Carolina.”

Members of the East Carolina University Marching Pirates, led by Chancellor’s Scholar Dylan Livingston-Keeter played during the Chancellor’s Scholar’s lunch. (Photo by Dan Hunt)

Tait wants to go to dental school and become an orthodontist. His goal is to open his own practice and “be able to provide free healthcare for those less fortunate kids in my community.”

Steve Cunanan ’87 ’91, chair of the ECU Foundation’s board of directors, reiterated the foundation’s support for the initiative and recognized some of the early investors.

“The ECU Foundation also believes strongly in the Chancellor Scholars and what it brings to this university. Members of the board came together to establish their own endowment,” Cunanan said. “They put their money where their mouth was, and it’s not only good enough for the foundation to support this program. We also have to support it individually.”

Richard Cobb Sr. ’68 was the first donor to create a named Chancellor’s Scholars fund  in 2024.

“I took an immediate interest in the Chancellor’s Scholarship initiative. The ECU Foundation didn’t have to contact me, I called them,” Cobb said. “These recruitment scholarships are the most direct path to attract high-achieving students to campus and bolster ECU’s academic image.”

Cobb said he doesn’t think the majority of ECU alumni realize the competition among universities to recruit scholars.

“Just as our athletic coaches recruit top quarterbacks, point guards or pitchers, academic institutions are after top achievers too. We need this new Chancellor’s Scholarship to be in the game and compete.”

Brad ’94 and Dr. Kim Crickmore Osborne ’96 ’10 were the first to establish an endowment in the initiative.

“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 Janice Faulkner Roundtable and has been recognized by the ECU School of Nursing Hall of Fame. 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.”

Cunanan thanked all Chancellor’s Scholars donors and challenged the audience to continue the effort.

“For those that already support the Chancellor’s Scholars annually, there is an opportunity to make that commitment permanent through an endowment. And for those that are considering a scholarship, I would encourage you to go ahead and make that commitment,” Cunanan said.

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