CSC News

Department Announces Endowed Scholarship Winners

The rising costs of a college education can be quite a burden on students and their families. Scholarship funds help bridge the gap, helping the department supplement funding for students with the greatest financial need, while also providing funds that help attract top talent.

Scholarship funds can come from outright annual gifts from alumni and corporations, or from endowments. Endowed scholarships are the most coveted source of scholarships because they are essentially ‘forever’ scholarships. They are made possible by large gifts by generous donors that are invested, with the annual growth providing the funding for student awards. In theory, an endowed scholarship will provide awards in perpetuity.

Endowed scholarships are usually named in honor or memory of an individual, or in recognition of a donor. The department of computer science now boasts more than 20 endowed scholarships that benefit its students.

Scholarships are usually designated by the donor as ‘needs-based’ and/or ‘merit-based’. In addition to naming their endowments, donors often elect to establish ‘preferences’ as to how the awards are to be distributed. These preferences are often aligned to the donors’ passions or special interests. While it is not always possible for the awards to be given to a direct match, the department always strives to make scholarship awards with the donors’ preferences in mind.

Our 2017-18 endowed scholarship awards include:

• 40^th Year Scholarship (2017-18 Winner - Elizabeth Gilbert) – Created by donations of alumni and faculty, this endowment is supported by proceeds from an online charity auction commemorating the department’s 40^th year celebration in 2007. Award preference goes to a sophomore or higher in computer science with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• Brian P. Block Memorial Scholarship (2017-18 Winner – Michelle Lemons) – This needs-based scholarship was created in honor of Brian Block, a CSC alum who graduated in 2008. Block passed in 2015 after working for technology companies Cisco, I-Cubed and KPIT.
• Dr. Carl C. Hughes Scholarship (2017-18 Winner – Ashley Cook) – This award was created to honor the life and legacy of this alum and career educator who taught mathematics at The Ohio State University and at North Carolina State University, and later served for more than 27 years as an Associate Professor at Fayetteville State University. Award preference for this needs-based scholarship is that it be given to a computer science student from an underrepresented class pursuing a dual major in computer science and applied mathematics or a similar degree.
• Carol Miller Student Leadership Award (2017-18 Winner – Malik Majette) – This endowment honors Carol Miller, a popular and long-time lecturer who retired in 2009. The endowment provides “programmatic” and/or scholarship support. When the funds are used for scholarships, preference is given to computer science students who have demonstrated leadership skills.
• Charles W. Kelly / ISSA Scholarship (2017-18 Winner – Jacob Stone) – This scholarship was created by the Raleigh Chapter of Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) to honor its founder (and CSC alum), Charles W. Kelly.  Preference is that the scholarship be awarded to a junior or senior with a demonstrated interest in working in the field of computer security.
• Doris and Don Martin Scholarship (2017-18 Winner - Anne Church) – This endowment honors former department head, Dr. Don Martin and his wife Doris.  Martin served as department head from 1974 to 1986, and played a key role in the department’s rapid growth. Preference is that this merit-based scholarship is to be awarded to a deserving sophomore or higher.
• Duke Energy Scholarship (2017-18 Winners – Isabelle Snyder & Dana Christo) – This endowment was created through the generosity of the Duke Energy Foundation providing needs-based scholarships, preferably to students in an under-represented class pursuing an undergraduate degree in computer science.
• Gordon Family Scholarship (2017-18 winner - Connor Hall) - This endowment was created by alumna Suzanne Gordon (B.S. CSC ‘75, M.S. CSC ‘80) and her husband, Ralph (B.S. CE ‘72). In the spirit of “paying-it-forward”, preference will be given to students who are, have been, or will be actively involved in outreach efforts to assist at-risk children or youth, either through NC State University student organizations (such as STARS) or through personal involvement through community programs like Communities in Schools of Wake County.
• Henry B. Rowe, Jr. Scholarship (2017-18 Winner – Sarah Korkes) – This award was established by Denise Carlisle & Gerhard Pilcher (Class of 1985, BS-CSC and Class of 2011, MS-Advanced Analytics) to honor Gerhard’s stepfather & Mount Airy, NC businessman, Mr. Henry B. Rowe, Jr. (1919-1997).  Rowe was a 1941 graduate of NC State University in Chemical Engineering, served as editor of the Technician during his senior year, and was a member of a close-knit group of campus leaders (self named the “rail birds”) that included William “Bill” Friday.  Preference is that the award be given to a student who is a contributing member of the Computer Science Ambassadors Program.
• Joyce Hatch Scholarship (2017-18 Winner – Stephen Worley) – This endowment was created to honor Joyce Hatch, a popular student advisor who retired in 2006 after working with the university for over 30 years. Award preference goes to needs-based students, continuing her legacy of helping those in need.
• KC Tai Memorial Scholarship (2017-18 winner - Michelle Lemons) – This endowment was created to honor the late CSC professor, Dr. KC Tai, after his untimely passing in 2002. Award preference goes to an individual with a strong academic interest in software engineering and/or CSC students with a disability or handicap.
• Mark Paul Kavanaugh Memorial Scholarship (2017-18 Winner - Christopher Miller) – This award honors the memory of Mark Kavanaugh, a computer science student who lost his life in a car accident in the fall of 1986.
• NetApp Scholarship (2017-18 Winner - Savannah Arnette) – This endowment is provided through the generosity of NetApp. Headquartered Sunnyvale, CA, NetApp is a world leader in unified storage solutions.  This scholarship was established in 2007, in conjunction with the department’s 40th Year Celebration.
• Oracle Scholarship (2017-18 Winner – Stanton Parham) – Originally provided by Tekelec, which was acquired by Oracle in 2013, preference is that this needs-based scholarship be awarded to a student in an under-represented class with a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
• Renee and Stan Katz Scholarship (2017-18 Winner – Wade Moore) – This endowment was created by Dr. Martin S. Dulberg (CSC MS’96, CSC PHD’03) and Dr. Barbara J. Adams in honor of Dr. Dulberg’s mother and stepfather, Renee and Stan Katz.  Preference is that the scholarship will be awarded to first generation college students.
• SAS Institute Scholarships (2017-18 Winners – Amy Suh, Sarah Korkes, Julius Kollar & Thomas Ortiz) – This endowment was provided through the generosity of SAS Institute, providing multiple scholarships annually. Preference to deserving and/or under-represented students in computer science.
• Society for Information Management (SIM) Ed Galloway Scholarship (2017-18 Winner – Aaron Watson) – This scholarship was created in 2008 by the RTP Chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM) professional organization, and renamed in the memory of Ed Galloway who passed away unexpectedly in 2016. Galloway was instrumental in his efforts to bring community service into the chapter’s vision and mission.
• Thomas L. Honeycutt Scholarship (2017-18 Winner – Stanton Parham) – This endowment, created to honor Dr. Thomas L. Honeycutt, a very popular professor and influential department icon, upon his retirement in 2012 after more than 40 years of service. The endowment was made possible by the generous donations of numerous alumni, family and friends, including a major lead gift by Distinguished Engineering Alumnus, Bobby R. Johnson, Jr. (B.S. ’77) and his wife, Donna.  Preference is that the needs-based scholarship go to first generation college students and/or students from military families.

Ken Tate, director of engagement & external relations, says the number of endowed scholarships within the department of computer science has more than quadrupled in the last decade. "We have added 19 new fully funded scholarship endowments over the last decade and another three have been committed as part of planned estate gifts," says Tate. While this growth in endowments is impressive, the 23 recipients represent less than 3% of the undergraduate population in computer science. "We are only scratching the surface in terms of meeting the demand for 'needs-based' and 'merit-based' scholarships," says Tate."

According to Kyle Kremer, director of development for the department, adds that the minimum requirements to establish a scholarship endowment are increasing from $25,000 to $50,000 on May 15, 2018. “For anyone who has been thinking about creating a named endowment, now is the time to do so in order to take advantage of the lower level,” says Kremer. Endowments can be created in many different ways and forms including: a single outright gift, a multi-year pledge, or they can be created as a part of a person’s estate plans. They can also be created with gifts of stocks, securities, or properties.

Those who are interested in giving to one of the currently established endowments or creating your own, contact Kyle Kremer (klkremer@ncsu.edu).

~###~