Friends, colleagues establish scholarship to honor former Foundation director

Friends and colleagues of Ben Hughes, former executive director of development and college relations at the NC State Engineering Foundation, have established a scholarship endowment honoring him for 18 years of service with the Foundation, the fundraising and alumni relations arm of the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University.

The gift, which creates the Ben H. Hughes Scholarship in Engineering, will be used to provide scholarships for undergraduate students pursuing a degree in the College. Students enrolled in the Benjamin Franklin Scholarship Program, a dual-degree program that pairs coursework in engineering with humanities and social sciences, will receive first preference for the scholarship. Nearly 60 donors have given or pledged a total of $32,400 toward the scholarship.

“We are grateful to Ben’s friends and colleagues for their generous recognition of his service to the College,” said Dr. Louis A. Martin-Vega, dean of the College of Engineering. “This gift honors Ben’s longstanding commitment to the College and its talented students who will engineer a better tomorrow.”

Hughes, who retired in September, presided over the most successful fundraising period in the College’s history, growing its overall endowment from about $10 million in 1993, his first year with the College, to $76.3 million in 2011. The number of professorships and scholarships increased fourfold, and endowments for programmatic activities jumped nearly 600 percent.

Among the many highlights of his 18-year career with the College was the $10 million gift from alumnus and Foundation board member Edward P. Fitts in 2005 to endow the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.

Friends, family and alumni recognized his dedication to the College at a retirement reception held Sept. 16 at NC State’s McKimmon Center.  The packed reception included everyone from engineering department heads, faculty members and College leaders to donors and Foundation board and staff members, both past and present.

Speakers at the event included Martin-Vega, Foundation Board President S. Frank Culberson, Dean Emeritus Nino Masnari, and current Foundation staff members. They shared memories of working with Hughes, reflecting on his friendly and business-like manner displayed in his day-to-day interactions with coworkers, alumni and donors.

Friends and colleagues had worked behind the scenes to establish the scholarship on Hughes’ behalf. The surprise scholarship unveiling for Hughes was a highlight of the event.

The NC State Engineering Foundation, Inc., was chartered in 1944 to secure private financial support critical to the improvement of the College. The Foundation continues to raise funds and engage with alumni to support the important work of the people who define the College.