FOUNDATIONS
Build a brighter future
Private support helps the College compete for the best and brightest.
Dean Louis A. Martin-Vega has set an ambitious long-term goal for the College: To become the nation’s leading public college of engineering.
To get there, the College must attract and retain top faculty and students. The ability to offer endowed scholarships, fellowships and professorships is the best way to convince these top performers to pursue their academic careers here.
A gift that saves lives
Dr. Michael Steer
“The support provided by the Lampe professorship gives me the freedom to pursue ideas that could never be supported by traditional means. There is more research I want to pursue that will help protect our soldiers and Marines, and this professorship gives me the opportunity to test out crazy ideas. Once they are worked out, then it is easy to get external support. I am very grateful to the Lampe Family for their generous support.”
– Dr. Michael Steer, Lampe Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Steer recently received the U.S. Army Commander’s Award for Public Service, among the Army’s highest civilian honors.
His research has helped American forces remotely counter roadside bombs, which has saved hundreds of soldiers’ lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Lampe family, longtime supporters of the College, established the professorship in 2005.
Endowments can be established for a variety of purposes and may be designated to suit the donor’s desires. With all such gifts, the principal remains invested while only the annual income is used for the donor’s chosen purpose.
Endowed professorships are the most important vehicle for recruiting and retaining outstanding research faculty. These funds are used for salary support and research activities, including graduate assistants, equipment and course development. The North Carolina General Assembly has a matching grant program that makes each endowed professorship gift go farther. For example, for the minimum professorship gift of $333,000, the state contributes an additional $167,000.
Along with faculty, graduate students are primary agents of innovation within a research-intensive school such as the College of Engineering. Fellowship endowments, which provide financial support for graduate students, are extremely important for attracting and retaining the best graduate students. The minimum level to endow a graduate fellowship is $300,000.
And while an NC State engineering degree remains one of the best bargains in higher education, the cost of tuition is still a barrier for many students. There is formidable competition among top engineering colleges for the best undergraduates, so endowed scholarships are crucial to NC State’s ability to bring them here. An endowment of $150,000 generates annual income roughly equivalent to a full year of tuition and fees. Endowments can be established for a minimum of $25,000.
Donors can also establish endowments that create or enhance academic programs, providing students with a wealth of opportunities to broaden their experiences. Donors can build new opportunities or greatly enhance existing programs to foster collaboration and team building and expose students and faculty to new and important ideas.
Donors who want to make annual sustaining contributions can join the Dean’s Circle with a gift of $1,000 or more annually. As the leadership annual giving program, the Dean’s Circle is crucial to our student recruiting strategy. It is unique among annual fundraising efforts in that 100 percent of each donor’s gift goes to support student scholarships and fellowships within the College.
All gift categories provide the College the opportunity to recognize donors who have made a difference in the College and in the lives of those it serves. Such recognition, through annual dinners and other special events, reminds students and faculty of the generosity that enabled their many academic and research opportunities. This recognition also sets a clear example for other alumni and friends by highlighting the lasting impact their own potential contributions can have on the College.
Donors can also take satisfaction in knowing that their gifts not only build
a stronger faculty and student body; they also help boost the College’s
national ranking, bringing the College closer to realizing Martin-Vega’s
ambitious goal. 