Support for Endowment

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s endowment supports the people, programs and facilities of the university in perpetuity. Through investment earnings and charitable gifts, ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ seeks to grow its endowment to support scholarships for students, professorships and other opportunities to develop excellent faculty, new initiatives and maintenance of outstanding facilities.

To Support Students

Among ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s top endowment priorities is to expand and deepen support for student scholarships, including need- and talent-based scholarships. Opening ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s doors to students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences—including first-generation college students—enriches the entire campus community and enables remarkable young people to pursue their dreams.

To Name Scholarships (minimum funding levels):

  • Odyssey Program Scholarships: $500,000
  • Fellows Scholarships: $250,000
  • ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Engagement Scholarships: $100,000
  • Need-based, Athletic, and other Talent-based Scholarships: $100,000
  • Graduate School Scholarships: $100,000
  • International Student Scholarships: $100,000

To Support Faculty

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s engaged learning relies on meaningful interactions between students and faculty. To support faculty in conducting research, creating new courses, and staying current in their fields, the university aims to establish more endowed professorships and faculty development funds. These resources, including enhanced funding for salaries and research, are essential for attracting and retaining outstanding faculty.

To Name Professorships (minimum funding levels):

  • Distinguished University Professorship: $2,000,000. This award is bestowed, on occasion, to full professors who have made distinguished contributions to teaching, scholarship and the ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ community.
  • Visiting Professorship: $1,000,000
  • Named Professorship: $1,000,000
  • Emerging Scholars/Junior Professorship: $500,000
  • Faculty Sabbatical Fund: $300,000
  • Faculty Innovation and Creativity Funds: $100,000. These funds provide time to ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ faculty to create new academic courses and develop innovative teaching methods to enhance student learning.
  • Faculty Development Fund: $100,000
  • Summer Faculty Fellowship: $100,000
  • Lectureship Series: $100,000

To Support Engaged Learning

The ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Experiences form the foundation of the university’s renowned engaged learning program. These five transformative opportunities—study abroad, service learning, internships, undergraduate research and leadership—enable students to put their learning into action and see the impact they can have on the world.

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Experiences Fund

These funds support a student’s participation in one of the five ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Experiences. The funding minimum for an engagement experience fund is $50,000.

Study Abroad

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ sends more undergraduates to study abroad than any other master’s-level school in the nation. ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s new strategic plan, Boldly ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ, which will guide the university through 2030, calls for access for all students to study abroad, regardless of financial circumstance. Enhanced scholarship support is vital to meeting this goal.

Undergraduate Research

Each year hundreds of students work closely with faculty mentors to develop research projects based on their areas of interest. These experiences are invaluable preparation for graduate study and professional careers. Additional funds will expand the number and enhance the quality of projects and enable student-faculty teams to present their research at national and international conferences.

Internships, Service Learning and Leadership Opportunities

About 80 percent of students complete internships and service experiences during their ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ careers. With greater support, more students could participate in these valuable opportunities at home or abroad and in cities where housing and living costs are high. Approximately one-third of all students hold at least one leadership position in the more than 190 campus organizations and programs. Additional endowment funding would expand leadership opportunities for students, preparing them for professional and personal success.

The ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Academy

Endowment support also is needed for The ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Academy, an academic enrichment and college-access program that serves Alamance County, N.C., high school students with financial need or no family history of attending college. Academy scholars enroll as rising sophomores and commit to a three-year program that combines three intensive four-week summer residential experiences at ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ with a variety of academic activities throughout the school year. Increased annual and endowment funding are needed since academy scholars do not pay tuition to attend.

Since opening in 2007, The ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Academy has inspired and empowered dozens of high school students to attend four-year colleges or universities, including ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ, and to go on to assume leadership roles in their communities.