FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thurgood Marshall College Fund Pledges Scholarships
for ECSU Students
CHAPEL HILL, NC – University of North Carolina President
Thomas W. Ross announced today that the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF)
will join efforts to support the retention and graduation of students at
Elizabeth City State University.
TCMF has pledged $150,000 to provide scholarships for
eligible students who are in their junior or senior year and need financial
support to graduate. To qualify as a TMCF Scholar, students must have a 3.0 or
higher grade-point average and be in good standing at the
institution.
In making the announcement, Ross said: “In recent
months we’ve been working with Chancellor (Charles) Becton and his leadership
team to help ECSU address enrollment declines and significant state budget
reductions,” said Ross. “Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President and CEO of the
Thurgood Marshall Fund, was one of the first partners to agree to provide
financial assistance to ECSU students, many of whom are low-income and the first
in their families to attend college. Despite our University’s commitment to low
tuition, these students face real challenges paying for
college.”
Taylor underscored TMCF’s commitment to help ECSU
students overcome financial barriers to college completion, saying, “Due to new
loan eligibility requirements from the Department of Education and private
financial institutions, many of our students are unable to rely on loans they
may have received in the past. These scholarships will help fill the gap to
ensure that students complete their college educations.”
Students meeting TMCF criteria must apply directly to
TMCF for scholarship funds, which will be available beginning March 2014 through
the spring 2015 semester. The TMCF Scholars program will be jointly funded by
TMCF and North Carolina-based Lowe’s. Through its Access Fund, Lowe’s has
demonstrated strong support for public historically black colleges and
universities (HBCUs).
ECSU Chancellor Becton said of the pledge: “The entire
Elizabeth City State University community thanks the Thurgood Marshall College
Fund for allocating funds to support retention efforts at ECSU. We are the
premier 4-year regional education provider for one of the most geographically
challenging and economically disadvantaged regions in the state. This funding
from TMCF will help us retain top quality students and ensure that those in our
region who want to pursue and continue higher education can afford to make their
educational goals a reality.”
TMCF is named for the U.S. Supreme Court’s first
African-American Justice. Established in 1987, TMCF supports and represents
nearly 300,000 students attending its 47 member schools that
include publicHBCUs, medical schools and law schools. Through its
scholarships and programs, TMCF plays a key role in preparing the leaders of
tomorrow. For more information about TMCF and its initiatives, visitwww.thurgoodmarshallcollegefund.org.
The oldest public university in the nation, the
University of North Carolina enrolls more than 220,000 students and encompasses
all 16 of North Carolina’s public institutions that grant baccalaureate degrees,
as well as the NC School of Science and Mathematics, the nation’s first public
residential high school for gifted students. UNC campuses support a broad array
of distinguished liberal-arts programs, two medical schools and one teaching
hospital, two law schools, a veterinary school, a school of pharmacy, 11 nursing
programs, 15 schools of education, three schools of engineering, and a
specialized school for performing artists. The UNC Center for Public
Television, with its 11-station statewide broadcast network, is also under the
University umbrella.
Joni B. Worthington
Vice President for Communications
The University of North Carolina
P.O. Box 2688
910 Raleigh Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27515
Phone: (919) 962-4629
FAX: (919) 962-5463
Email:
worthj@northcarolina.edu
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