Fayetteville State University receives historic gift to support students from Eastern NC
Fayetteville State University has received a $5.8 million gift, the largest in its history, to support student success, particularly those from rural Eastern North Carolina.
The charitable grant from Anonymous Trust, a private foundation in Raleigh, is more than four times larger than any previous single gift to the historically Black university.
“This is truly a pivotal moment in the life of our University and the lives of our students,” Chancellor Darrell Allison said in a statement. “The funding from the Anonymous Trust will significantly advance our goals in recruiting, retaining and graduating our talented students regardless of their circumstances.”
The money boosts FSU’s fundraising projections for 2022 to $8 million, a record-setting amount for a single year, according to the university. The gift also comes as Fayetteville State and other HBCUs secured a historic amount of money from the state legislature to support campus construction projects and students that helped alleviate decades of funding disparities.
Where the money will go
Fayetteville State will use this money to fund programs that will make a college education more accessible to students from underserved and underrepresented communities.
The money, which will be provided over three years, will help support the following efforts:
▪ FSU’s 30-60-90 Free Summer School program that offers students up to seven free credit courses over the summer to help them graduate on time or early with less debt.
▪ The Bronco Boost initiative, an on-campus program to help first-year and transfer students from low-income, rural counties in Eastern North Carolina transition to college life.
▪ Need-based scholarships for first-year and transfer students from Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties in Eastern North Carolina.
▪ FSU’s Minority Male Initiative to recruit, retain and support students of color.
▪ FSU’s College of Education Reading Clinic, which offers tutoring services by FSU students to elementary school students in Cumberland and surrounding counties.
Margaret Turlington, director of the Simple Gifts Fund at Anonymous Trust, said the foundation made this investment because it believes FSU leaders and the region the school serves have the “vision and commitment to help change lives and open doors for students.”
NC Promise program
When Allison became FSU’s chancellor in 2021, the university was last in the system in terms of fundraising, at about $1.5 million, he said. He took steps to increase and diversify FSU’s revenue streams to address the university’s needs, particularly around campus facilities and student support.
In the most recent budget, state lawmakers earmarked $152 million for campus construction projects, including $44 million authorized for a new college of education building, dorms and a parking deck. The university also joined the NC Promise program with money allocated in the budget to boost FSU’s enrollment and retention rate, while lowering the cost of tuition for students.
With that historic state investment, this historic gift couldn’t have come at a better time and is laying the foundation to grow FSU, Allison told The N&O.
It’s one thing to have bold vision, Allison said, but having the investments from the state or the private sector is “a critical part to any vision being fulfilled.”
