i ECU FOUNDATION INC. • ECU MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES FOUNDATION INC. • ECU EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC. • EAST CAROLINA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INC. ECU FOUNDATION INC. • ECU MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES FOUNDATION INC. • ECU EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC. • EAST CAROLINA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INC.
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a strong and bold
COMMITMENT During my time here as your chancellor, I have repeatedly been reminded of the fact that East Carolina University is an extraordinary place that is filled with extraordinary students, faculty, alumni, and staff who share a strong and bold commitment to creating the next generation of leaders and public servants for our region and state. Much of the work of ECU would not be possible without your generosity and commitment, and I want to express a heartfelt thank you for supporting our programs and partnerships that help this university make a difference. It is my vision that ECU will become America’s next great national university. We will accomplish this by embracing our mission through four key areas: telling our story and getting the word out about all that East Carolina University is and represents through branding, imaging, and marketing; increasing our research efforts and goals; enhancing internationalization through global academic initiatives that allow our students to participate in study abroad opportunities that will enrich their global perspective; and launching a comprehensive campaign that will allow us to achieve the funding to pursue our aspirations and move this university to the next level. With a goal of raising $500 million, the upcoming comprehensive campaign includes priorities to build the endowment, strengthen and expand programs across our campus, and fund capital projects such as the Dowdy-Ficklen
Stadium renovation. With your continued and generous support, our aspirations for East Carolina University can be realized and we can secure the future of this great university. This is an exciting time to be a Pirate. I am proud to be your chancellor, and even prouder to be a part of the amazing Pirate Nation. Thank you for your passion and support. Go Pirates!
Dr. Cecil P. Staton Chancellor
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contents 4 Student Success
Enhancing the educational experience of students
11 Regional Transformation
Helping eastern North Carolina become a better
place to live
18 Public Service
Using every opportunity to live out ECU’s motto,
Servire
A Message from the Vice Chancellor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 2015-2016 Financial Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC. Year in Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Points of Distinction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 ECU MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES FOUNDATION INC. Year in Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Points of Distinction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 ECU EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC. Year in Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Points of Distinction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 EAST CAROLINA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INC. Year in Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Points of Distinction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Giving Societies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Order of the Cupola Leo W. Jenkins Society Chancellors’ Society Doubloon Circle Ways to Give . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Contact Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
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student success Student success is the cornerstone of our efforts at East Carolina University. If our students are successful, they will help transform the region by serving the public in many ways. Fiscal year 2016 showed many commitments to student success from across the university’s foundations.
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EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC.
Dr. Brenda Wells, director of the Risk Management and Insurance program at ECU, addresses College of Business students.
Gifts Help Enhance Students’ Learning Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC) donated $250,000 to support East Carolina University’s Risk Management and Insurance program, which is housed in the College of Business. As part of IIANC’s latest gift, $75,000 completes the funding of an endowed scholarship named in honor of Stuart Powell, an insurance veteran who serves as IIANC’s vice president. In addition, $175,000 of the donation will begin the funding of a second professorship in Risk Management and Insurance. “The IIANC gift has made it possible for us to provide ongoing scholarship support to our students and to ensure the longevity of our program by creating a second endowed professorship,” said Dr. Brenda Wells, director of the Risk Management and Insurance program. “This gift was so amazingly generous, and I deeply appreciate all that IIANC does for our program.” “Receiving a scholarship named for someone who has been such a key figure in the insurance industry has been such an honor,” said Powell scholarship recipient Katherine Sargent. “When I joined the RMI program sophomore year, I
did not know I would be where I am right now.” Sargent has graduated and received a full-time job offer. A statewide trade association representing nearly 1,000 independent insurance agencies, IIANC continues to be a strong supporter of ECU. Previously, the organization donated $75,000 to ECU’s Risk Management and Insurance program to support ongoing research, bolster the general operating fund, and create an endowed student scholarship. IIANC also endowed ECU’s Robert F. Bird Distinguished Professorship in Insurance in 2013, which is held by Wells. “We are so grateful to IIANC and its vision to support our insurance program, our students, and our faculty. The group’s extraordinary partnership and dedication to strengthening our college will pay dividends for years to come,” said Dr. Stan Eakins, dean of the College of Business. Aubie Knight is chief executive officer of IIANC. “IIANC is honored to continue its support of the program and its excellent students,” he said. “They will certainly be among the future leaders of our industry, and 6
we couldn’t be happier than to help provide them with some of the tools and resources that will help them reach their fullest potential. “We are proud of the great work that the ECU faculty has done in building the Risk Management and Insurance program up to such an impressive level in a short number of years.” The College of Business began offering the Risk Management and Insurance program in 2011 and now has more than 85 students enrolled. It is one of the fastest-growing programs in the country and is supported by endowments from IIANC as well as the North Carolina Surplus Lines Association. “Because of the funding we have from the insurance industry … we are able to take our students on many trips where they can meet industry leaders and where they can meet other people in the industry for employment opportunities,” said Kurt Fickling, teaching instructor in the Risk Management and Insurance program and member of the East Carolina University Foundation Board of Directors. “It’s a major recruitment tool for the risk management and insurance department to recruit students into this major.”
ECU MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES FOUNDATION INC. Support Provides Opportunity for Future Growth An increase in private investment is expanding educational opportunities for health sciences students at East Carolina University and improving quality of care for patients. These gifts will go toward scholarships, professorships, research, and patient care. As a result, more students will be able to pursue health-related degrees at ECU, units will be able to recruit and retain top faculty for teaching and research, and patients will have access to expanded services and highquality care. “We are so grateful for the generosity of our donors who are helping us improve health care in North Carolina and beyond,” said
Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Chris Dyba. “People are becoming much more aware of the quality and impact of our programs and are choosing to invest in health care through their personal philanthropy,” said Mark Notestine, president of the Medical & Health Sciences Foundation. Indeed, examples of private support for ECU’s health sciences programs abound. An anonymous bequest of $2 million to the Department of Psychiatry in the Brody School of Medicine will provide $1 million for an endowed professorship and $1 million for research. A bequest of $1 million from an anonymous retired Brody faculty member will support medical students working in the ECU Family Medicine Center on obesity and/or nutrition.
Thanks to a bequest from Randy and Laura Ann Schluter Strickland (at right), more of ECU’s occupational therapy graduates will be able to pursue advanced degrees.
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A significant bequest from Caroline Raby ’70 will be used for scholarships for students pursuing a career in primary care medicine who demonstrate a commitment to service. More occupational therapy graduates will be able to pursue advanced degrees thanks to a bequest from Randy Strickland ’75 and his wife, Laura Ann Schluter Strickland, to
“ECU isn’t just up-and-coming; we’re on top.” A $300,000 gift from an anonymous foundation to the School of Dental Medicine will help provide patient care for those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford treatment. It will also give students more opportunities to practice caring for patients as part of their education. Jackie Jones Stone ’64 and her twin sister, Jeannette Jones ’64, are members of the first graduating class of nurses at East Carolina. They decided to bequeath a significant portion of their estates to scholarships for undergraduate students in the College of Nursing. The scholarships will be given to students from eastern North Carolina and eastern Virginia with an interest in community health nursing or psychiatric nursing. A recent $300,000 gift to the School of Dental Medicine will help provide patient care for those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford treatment.
a scholarship endowment in the College of Allied Health Sciences. “We have a strong commitment to education and compassion for students with a great need for education,” Laura Strickland said. “Much of Randy’s success he feels was his foundational work at ECU.” Randy Strickland, who has more than 20 years of experience teaching occupational therapy and serving as an academic administrator, said he wants to improve prospects for tomorrow’s occupational therapy students. “I see how much things have changed since I began practicing. The need will be so much greater in the future,” he said. Occupational therapy students like Ashley Thigpen know exactly how important it is to obtain scholarships in their field. Thigpen is getting her master’s degree in occupational therapy and feels her scholarship has allowed her an opportunity to follow her dreams so that she can one day work in geriatrics.
“The heart center can use these funds to benefit other people’s lives 20–30 years from now,” said Travis Burt, who recovered from a cardiac episode and bypass surgery in January 2013 and set up the professorship with his wife as part of a new grateful patient program. “I look at it as a hiccup, but I know my family members were worried,” Burt said. “ECU had the expertise, equipment, and staff to make me and my family feel as good as possible throughout the whole process. We want to let people know that East Carolina is the best option; people don’t have to go to Raleigh anymore.
“We’re thinking about the future. It’s very difficult for families today (to pay for college), so any little bit we could give, we wanted to do it; it’s the least we could do,” the sisters agreed on a visit to campus. “Giving these students a chance, that’s what it’s about.” “The more scholarships there are, the more attractive a school is. We hope this scholarship can make a difference in one more person studying nursing and being successful at ECU and in their career.”
Through planned giving, twin sisters and ECU nursing alumnae Jackie Jones Stone and Jeannette Jones are funding scholarships for students with an interest in community health nursing or psychiatric nursing.
“Over the course of my education here, I have continued to grow a desire to work with this group of people,” Thigpen said. “Receiving the scholarship has helped to ease the stress that comes along with the financial burden of pursuing a higher education.” The Travis and Cassandra Burt Distinguished Professorship in the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at Brody will be used to hire a top cardiologist who can provide expert treatment for patients and educate the next generation of heart doctors. 8
ECU EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC. (3.575 GPA) and 2006–2007 (3.610 GPA) seasons as a member of Conference USA. “We have been very successful in the classroom throughout the 16-year history of the program,” head coach Kevin Williams said. “This marks the third time we have had the highest collective GPA in the conference (C-USA or The American). I’m extremely proud of the work of our team in the classroom and their commitment to academic excellence.” The Pirates were one of 25 teams recognized by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) for excellence in the classroom, garnering a No. 10 national ranking. It was the fifth time in program history that the Pirates stood among the Top 25 following the 2007–2008 (21st/3.531), 2010–2011 (18th/3.658), 2013–2014 (25th/3.635), and 2014–2015 (14th/3.66) seasons.
Grades Yield a Big Victory The East Carolina baseball and women’s golf programs were honored with the 2015–2016 American Athletic Conference Team Academic Excellence Award. The award is given to the team in each conference-sponsored sport with the highest grade-point average for the current academic year. “This is another great honor for our program,” head baseball coach Cliff Godwin said. “Our players, our support staff, and our academic advisor, Rebecca Wade, worked extremely hard to achieve a 3.31 team GPA over the past year, which was recognized as the highest male cumulative GPA at ECU and the top baseball GPA in the American Athletic Conference.” Godwin’s club, which was one of 29 Division I programs to receive the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Team Academic Excellence Award, sported a collective 3.31 GPA for the 2015–2016 year and was the highest team male cumulative GPA at East Carolina.
spring, 21 players appeared on the list. Juniors Ryan Littlefield and Travis Watkins earned Chancellor’s List status in the fall with a perfect 4.0 GPA, while Littlefield tallied the highest spring semester GPA (3.94) and had the program’s top cumulative GPA (3.95). “Coach Godwin has instilled in us (individually and as a team) that there is going to be life after baseball. Not everyone will play professionally, so we need to have a fall-back plan,” Watkins said. “As a team, we take pride in having the best male sport cumulative GPA within the athletic student body.” The women’s golf team registered a programbest 3.768 GPA for the academic year, marking the third time in school history they captured the top team honor following the 2005–2006
Under Godwin, a two-time Academic AllAmerica selection at East Carolina, the Pirates registered a program-best 3.42 GPA in the fall of 2015 before following with a 3.20 mark in the spring. Since first tracking team GPAs in the fall of 2003, the baseball team has reached the 2.90 mark 10 times but never 3.0 until the fall of 2015—Godwin’s first year at ECU. In the fall, 28 Pirates were named to the ECU Director of Athletics Honor Roll. In the 9
“We have an extremely high team GPA, which I think reflects dedication and the importance of an education. Seeing your teammates succeed only makes you want to work harder both for yourself and for them,” said golfer Catherine Ashworth. “Good grades are important to me because I want to give myself the best opportunity at finding a successful career after college. Senior Nicoline Engstroem Skaug and sophomore Lisa Pettersson, along with freshmen Kate Law and Ashworth, were named 2015–2016 NCAA Division I All-America Scholars by the WGCA. “Golf has also taught me to do my best at all times, and for me, it is important to get good grades because it is proof that I did all I could,” Pettersson added.
EAST CAROLINA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INC. Roderick Hall and Bina Amin are among more than 30 ECU students taking part in social entrepreneurship projects focused around education, the environment and climate change, alleviating poverty, peace and human rights, and public health.
“I am currently in the process of trying to develop an app that will target students in rural areas, specifically those of color, to help them prepare for college and then offer guidance to them throughout their collegiate career,” Hall said. “First-generation, rural students don’t have people to connect with. Our families can’t prepare us.” Hall has developed a logo and will begin pitching the idea to potential supporters. After graduation, he wants to attend law school with the goal of becoming a civil/human rights lawyer and social entrepreneur. Bina Amin and a friend, Garima Tomar, a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, developed the concept for Regift when they were seniors at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. The effort would recycle unspent or partially used gift cards to reduce food insecurity and give back to the community, Amin said.
Big Ideas Guide Students to Make a Difference From fighting hunger to advocating for youth from rural areas, East Carolina University students are working to improve the lives of others through a new initiative called That Big Idea Challenge. Erik Kneubuehl, associate vice chancellor for student involvement and leadership, brought the concept, modeled after the Clinton Global Initiative, to ECU. Student leaders Zach Evans and Mona Amin, who attended the Clinton Global Initiative University conference in 2015, along with ECU staff member Adeea Rogers, helped recruit ECU students across disciplines to participate in the fall and provided support for the project. “We met weekly for about a month developing the concept of That Big Idea-CGIU,” Rogers said. “The name came from our conversations about how to spark interest among ECU students to participate. Someone said, ‘We can tell them this is an awesome opportunity to develop that big idea they have.’ And it stuck.” More than 30 students collaborated in 15 project groups on ideas focused around education, the environment and climate change, alleviating poverty, peace and human rights, and public health.
“Twenty-six percent, or 1 in 4 children, in North Carolina go hungry,” she said.
“Even if the ideas don’t take off, these students are inspired and learn to work beyond the boundaries of their major and campus,” Kneubuehl said. “It’s service in its utmost sense.”
They hope to partner with large companies that could donate funds from unspent gift cards to combat hunger nationally and internationally, Amin said.
By the end of the semester, a dozen ECU teams submitted applications to attend the CGIU conference, held at the University of California Berkley.
The idea received a lot of interest at the conference. “Our next step is to look for connections with individuals that oversee the finance departments of large companies,” Amin said. “They would be able to help us envision the future of Regift in partnership with other companies.”
Rising senior Roderick Hall and sophomore Bina Amin, Mona’s sister, were accepted and attended the conference with more than 300 student groups, 1,000 people, and many networking opportunities. The Office of Student Involvement and Leadership supported their trip. “There were people from all over the world at the conference,” Hall said. Hall, who is majoring in political science and philosophy, grew up in an unincorporated town of about 500—Riegelwood—in southeastern North Carolina. He wants to help other students from rural, small towns who face unique challenges in attending college. He initially applied to CGI to grow and provide resources for an organization he was involved in called Free Man Beyond Me Foundation. But once at the conference, Hall started to craft his own idea. 10
After graduation, Amin, a biology Honors College student, plans to attend medical school to become a geriatrician. She also will continue working on Regift as the idea progresses. Hall and Amin will help mentor other students interested in applying for the 2017 CGIU to continue That Big Idea Challenge at ECU. They hope to grow interest through social media and expand by pairing students with faculty members, Kneubuehl said. “Social entrepreneurship is a concept and movement that is here to stay,” Rogers said. “And with one of ECU’s strategic directions being economic prosperity in the East, initiatives like CGIU allow students to begin to prepare for life after graduation with a sense of direction.”
regional transformation We are all more than our neighborhoods. Our neighborhoods are tied to communities, municipalities, counties, states, regions, countries, and the world. We are educating students here at ECU to go out into these communities, regions, and the world in hopes to make a difference. By increasing the education here in our region, we are helping eastern North Carolina become a better place to live. 11
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC. Grants Assist in Programming the Future Technology is evolving rapidly. To reap the benefits of the latest technology, our region needs to know how to use that technology. Thanks to generous gifts from Duke Energy, several programs at East Carolina University are directly impacting our region. ECU’s new 3D design and prototyping center and the start of a workforce-development program are strengthening students’ skills and promoting economic development. Funded in part by a $300,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation through the ECU Office of Innovation and Economic Development, the workforce-development program will offer short courses, workforce certificates, and hands-on industry projects through the Integrated Innovation Workforce and Economic Development Initiative. The grant is part of the Duke Energy Foundation’s $2 million investment in workforce development with six University of North Carolina-system schools. The program is aimed at pharmaceutical and other advanced manufacturing industries. Called the ECU Innovation Design Lab, the 5,600-square-foot facility is in part of the former Overton’s grocery store on Jarvis Street in Greenville. The lab features a new MakerBot Innovation Center for 3D design and prototyping, one of only three in the Southeast and the first in North Carolina. “The goal of this initiative is to address the documented and increasing demand for formally trained innovators in high-skill, high-pay pharmaceutical and other advanced manufacturing careers throughout the region,” said Ted Morris, associate vice chancellor for innovation and economic development at ECU. Additionally, the program lays the “last mile” of an education-to-workforce pipeline connecting eastern North Carolina middle- and high-school students to career opportunities via the Golden LEAF Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Academy. “East Carolina University is committed to equipping its students with the skills
Students Angel Chukwa and Amber Lyerly work in the ECU Innovation Design Lab, which features a MakerBot Innovation Center for 3D design and prototyping.
needed to compete in emerging sectors of today’s economy,” said David Fountain, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president. “We’re excited to make this important investment in eastern North Carolina and to work with the university to strengthen the region’s education12
to-workforce pipeline.” Together, these programs increase students’ awareness of regional advanced manufacturing careers while boosting their science, technology, engineering, art/design, mathematics, innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills.
ECU Provost Ron Mitchelson said the MakerBot lab will put students from business, art, science, engineering, medicine, and other fields together with industry experts to turn ideas into tangible products. “As far as I’m concerned, innovation is not a choice. It’s an imperative,” Mitchelson said. “This kind of facility is right at the base of this imperative.” 3D printing, known in engineering circles as additive manufacturing, uses technology similar to that used in inkjet printers to build products layer by layer using plastic or other materials with similar properties. Industrial 3D printers can also use metals, and some are now using biological materials to create human tissue. While the machines at the lab print novelty items such as chess pieces, their capabilities and utility go much deeper. David Baines, a project manager with MakerBot, said the technology allows users from individual inventors to major manufacturers to quickly and inexpensively create product prototypes for testing and design refinement. “It lowers the consequences so they can be creative,” Baines said. “It’s a couple of bucks instead of thousands.”
Academy at East Carolina University. “Since I like doing technology, making and fixing stuff, I think that it’s helped me have a clearer path for my future,” said Talisha Mills, a freshman at Ayden-Grifton High School. The academy was made possible by a $100,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation. The Duke Energy Foundation awards more than $25 million in charitable grants annually for projects that are vital to community health, such as education and workforce development. “Without their funding, this academy could not have happened,” said its co-organizer, Margaret Turner, who is the director of marketing and outreach in the College of Engineering and Technology at ECU. The program gave area young women handson experiences to learn about various STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) jobs in construction management, computer programming, quality assurance, and design in manufacturing. The academic sessions were led by faculty in the College of Engineering and Technology.
“I actually liked the surveying part a lot,” said Daphne Meyer, a rising freshman at AydenGrifton High School. “I never knew how they built the buildings and set everything up so they could know the exact location on the ground it has to be. I never knew how they got it so exact.” Forty students from Pitt, Greene, Beaufort, Wayne, and Lenoir counties participated. “It is important for ECU and for eastern North Carolina to have opportunities like this—to pique young students’ interest in STEM fields and to show them that a college education is indeed possible for them,” Turner said. The College of Engineering and Technology has about 2,500 students studying in undergraduate and graduate programs in computer science, construction management, engineering, and technology systems. The students were able to keep their Raspberry Pi computers and are encouraged to continue to work with the devices at home to expand what they learned at the academy.
Ninth-grader Onya Randolph is among the 40 participants in the inaugural Engineering and Technology Summer Academy at ECU.
The MakerBot center and simulation facility are separated by a design studio where students can gather to develop, share, and improve ideas, projects, or products. Ultimately, the lab is intended to increase collaboration and innovation and support the growth of the East Carolina Research and Innovation Campus. The lab also features space for ECU’s advanced visualization and performance facility, a simulation-based and immersive training environment serving North Carolina’s film and gaming industries as well as the military. In addition to being part of the Innovation Design Lab, the project is a component of ECU’s Pharmaceutical Development and Manufacturing Center of Excellence, which will be a premier laboratory-based education center for preparing pharmaceutical manufacturing and pharmaceutics professionals. From 3D printers to programing and surveying, area students are getting hands-on experience. Last summer, ninth-grade young women built tiny computers and got a close-up look at potential career fields as part of the inaugural Engineering and Technology Summer 13
ECU MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES FOUNDATION INC. “This is an awful big county, and transportation is difficult for a lot of folks,” Stanley said. “That’s why this (dental center) is such a powerful, powerful resource we have available, and we’re so fortunate to have it in our region. “We’re all going to have close ties and really be woven in with this center as they provide excellent care and services,” he added. Fourth-year dental student Sarah Kinsley of Greenville will be among those caring for patients at the Brunswick center, located in Bolivia. “ECU’s mission and the community service learning centers are what brought me (to the school),” Kinsley said. “It’s all regulated (across the centers), so the care is consistent. And you get to live in all different areas of the state.” Kinsley has completed rotations through Davidson County, Lillington, and Sylva. That travel solidified her commitment to practicing in the East, she said, and she looks forward to meeting people and getting to know the Brunswick County community. “Our mission is to really make a difference for the 29 counties (in our region),” remarked former Chancellor Steve Ballard at the ribbon cutting. “This (community service learning center) is as good an example as any of how ECU reaches out and makes a difference in health care and economic development.” Ballard recalled the diligent work and enthusiastic partnership by so many who brought the School of Dental Medicine to fruition. He said ECU started working on plans in 2005 for a “break-the-mold dental school that would send … all of those fourthyear students out into underserved areas.”
Centers Bring Statewide Care to the Underserved Under Brunswick County blue skies, East Carolina University officials celebrated the School of Dental Medicine’s eighth community service learning center. ECU’s dental service learning centers are facilities that combine clinical education and patient care. Led by faculty members, fourthyear dental students spend clinical rotations, while general dentistry residents also hone their skills at the centers. “A few years ago, this seemed like a dream and daunting task,” said Dr. Greg Chadwick, dean of the School of Dental Medicine. “But here we are today.” The school also delivers care to patients via
centers in Ahoskie, Elizabeth City, Davidson County, Lillington, Robeson County, Spruce Pine, and Sylva. “Our faculty, students, and residents have seen over 32,000 patients from 98 of North Carolina’s 100 counties,” Chadwick said. “And we’re just beginning.” David Stanley, executive director of Brunswick County Health and Human Services, already is anticipating the difference ECU dental medicine can make in his community. During remarks at the ribbon cutting, he noted that a recent community health assessment designated Brunswick County as “having a health provider shortage.” 14
“We take our duty seriously to be a huge driver of the (health care) workforce in this state,” said Dr. Phyllis Horns, vice chancellor for health sciences at ECU. ECU’s community service learning centers are open to all members of the community and offer comprehensive general dental services for adults, children, and special-needs patients in a safe, caring, and professional setting. Dental insurance, including Medicaid, is accepted. All clinics have the same architectural features and contain 7,700 square feet of space with 16 operatories, state-of-the-art equipment, wheelchair lift, 3D imaging, and an endodontic microscope.
ECU EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC.
Endeavor Set to Revolutionize Athletics Complex In a major transformation for ECU’s athletics complex, the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation project is targeted for completion in the fall of 2018. As part of a long-term facilities master plan, the $55 million endeavor includes the following: • Construction of a southside tower resulting in the creation of 1,000 premium seats through the addition of a new club level, loge boxes, standard suites, and founder’s suites • Game day experience enhancement with a new Pirate Club level, field-level club, and premium parking spaces • A modern press level with additional space for media, including amended radio and television broadcast and production locations • Improvements to the Ward Sports Medicine Building and Scales Field House to provide needed functional space for student-athletes • Development of a hitting facility adjacent to Clark-LeClair Stadium, serving the baseball and softball programs “We are very pleased to announce this bold and transformational vision for our athletics program,” said Jeff Compher, director of athletics. “It is an ambitious project that enhances Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (and) Bagwell Field, and upgrades other facilities that serve our students and coaches. “We are encouraged by the support thus far, and we will continue working hard
to make this project a reality.” ECU Athletics and the Pirate Club partnered with Conventions, Sports & Leisure International (CSL), an advisory and planning firm, to conduct a market and financial feasibility study to obtain feedback and help generate informed decisions regarding the renovation. In all, the renovation project will add 1,000 premium seats. A total of 670 seats will be available in the new club in the south-side tower, featuring an expansive club lounge, an all-inclusive buffet, and beverage area. The creation of 20 loge boxes will allow patrons direct access to the club lounge space. Each box offers four seats with an individual door that enables entry into the reception area. The 14 standard suites are expected to provide an unparalleled environment with retractable windows, premium food and beverage options, passage to the club lounge, and a private suitelevel entrance. Five founder’s suites are included in the premium seating offering as an exclusive allaccess experience. Each founder’s suite includes a restroom, availability to the area’s own lounge, upgraded outdoor seating, and premium parking. The premium parking option on a reinforced
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grass surface provides each pass holder cable TV connections, electrical outlets, and conveniently located permanent restrooms located outside the grand entrance of DowdyFicklen Stadium. Among the more unique game-day experience enhancements, an 8,000 square-foot field-level club will be constructed adjacent to the west end zone in front of the Murphy Center. The field-level club places a pass holder at the nearest proximity to the action on Bagwell Field. Beyond the stadium renovation, the Ward Sports Medicine Building and Scales Field House will experience improvements as part of the longterm facilities master plan. The football locker room and team meeting areas, athletics training headquarters, and equipment room will be modernized and expanded, and a football team lounge will be constructed. The relocation of the ECU Athletics Ticket Office and the addition of team locker rooms will highlight the work scheduled for Scales Field House. At nearby Clark-LeClair Stadium, a hitting facility will be constructed to support the baseball and softball programs. Construction is slated to begin following the final 2017 home football game, with completion scheduled prior to the 2018 home opener.
EAST CAROLINA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INC. Pirates Lead Charge in Changing City’s Skyline The skyline of downtown Greenville is changing. The iconic clock tower atop the Pitt County Courthouse has been joined by another timepiece—a clock that sits atop a new 230-space parking deck. Three blocks away, a 550-bed student apartment complex reaches toward the sky. What’s happening on the ground downtown— or “uptown” to a growing number of Greenville residents—is changing, too. Visit downtown any Wednesday night during the summer, and you’ll find the Umbrella Market—dozens of stalls packed with fresh produce, baked goods, and handmade wares. Art exhibits open the first Friday of every month. Before each home football game, Freeboot Friday turns downtown purple and gold with music and vendors. Live. Play. Eat. Shop. Invest. That’s the mantra of Uptown Greenville, the nonprofit group whose two employees and many dedicated volunteers lead the center-city revitalization effort. Bianca Gentile Shoneman is president and CEO of Uptown Greenville.
Police Sgt. Rudy Oxendine sees his work with Greenville’s center-city unit as a way to promote economic development.
They’ve seen progress on all fronts over the past several years, and leading nearly every program or project is a Pirate. Uptown Greenville was founded in 1994 as a grassroots effort to encourage revitalization and investment in downtown. To understand what’s changing there today, you have to understand the limitless energy of Bianca Gentile Shoneman ’99 ’08, president and CEO of Uptown Greenville since 2012. Shoneman spends her days on the phone and on the go, walking her district and singing its praises to anyone she encounters. She gives equal time to those who bought into uptown early and prospective tenants, business owners, and investors. She said there are many reasons to invest in downtown Greenville. “Center-city revitalization matters for economic reasons,” Shoneman said. “It helps with (employee) retention and recruiting, it helps with (the city’s) image and reputation. Success in uptown does take the public and the private. The public (sector) has said, ‘This matters to us,’ and the private has responded.” Ask Shoneman how she knows uptown is evolving, and her response has little to do with dollars or large-scale development. She points to The Scullery. At the corner of Fifth and Evans streets, the lunch spot and coffee shop—which also serves homemade ice cream—is empty only when closed. 16
“We had $15,000 and an idea,” owner Matthew Scully ’04 said of his business’ humble beginnings. That startup capital came from the city through a grant program to boost investment in uptown and west Greenville. “We live in a great area with great ingredients,” Scully said. “And we’ve had a lot of support from the community.” Four years since opening, the city continues to support The Scullery—in the sense that city employees are regular patrons. So are ECU students and staff. Scully received Uptown Greenville’s inaugural Small Business of the Year award in 2014. Like Scully, Holly Garriott ’01 ’05 was an artist before she became a business owner—in her case, a ceramicist with a master’s from ECU’s School of Art and Design. Now she works to ensure others can find opportunities in the art world through Emerge Gallery on Evans Street, which also operates as the arts council for Pitt County. “In the fine arts, it’s very hard to be a professional artist or to get a job in the arts,” she said. “You need to learn business skills. I wanted to teach classes on the business of art.” She took that idea to East Carolina’s office of the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC), a University of North Carolina-system program run by N.C. State University that provides management counseling and educational
services to small and mid-sized businesses across the state. They helped her write her first business plan. “The first time I did financials, it gave me a headache,” Garriott said. “Now, I love it.” SBTDC staff also suggested she attend an Uptown Greenville meeting. There, she met Don Edwards, owner of University Book Exchange and longtime downtown property developer and manager. He made her an offer for the good of uptown. “We moved in rent-free for the first three years,” she said. “He knew if you brought the arts, it would bring foot traffic to the area.” She’s paying back the help she received by offering internships to nearly 40 ECU students each year. At Emerge, they develop business acumen and learn to market their goods or skills. The students operate the pottery wheels now—not Garriott—and coach hundreds of kids in a variety of summer camps. “People say, ‘Oh, you don’t do art anymore,’” Garriott said. “But every day I’m creating something. “We want to keep our grads here. We want it to happen more than anybody.” Emerge was a partner in launching the inaugural Uptown ArtWalk and Umbrella Market and was involved in the creation of PirateFest. The annual event now draws 35,000 people downtown for a street festival and celebration of all things Pirate.
“We truly are the heart of the city,” Garriott said of uptown. “It’s a cultural destination, the best restaurants are here, and we’re still working on retail.” Edwards has been doing business in downtown Greenville for 46 years. Though not an alumnus himself, he has seen the impact East Carolina University and its alumni have had on the area. His father opened UBE in 1968, and Edwards began working there in 1969 when he was a junior in high school. “When I first started, the downtown was vibrant and fun, with lots of retail shops,” he said. “But in the 1970s and 1980s, there was tremendous decline with the coming of malls and urban sprawl. Since revitalization efforts began in the 1990s, I’ve continued to see steady improvement in the area.” “We’ve got a great mix of retail, residential, restaurants, galleries,” he said. “The downtown is a strong center for the East Carolina community. It creates a sense of place right at the campus edge. Greenville is becoming a fabulous college town. I’ve seen dramatic growth recently.” Through his business, Edwards has adopted ECU as his own, and he said supporting the university is supporting the region. “I am a total eastern North Carolina advocate,” he said. “There is nothing more important to the future of our town and our region than the success of East Carolina University. I have a passion for making East Carolina and Greenville the best they can be.
Holly Garriott, executive director of the Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge, has worked diligently to bring a vibrant arts scene to downtown Greenville.
“This is truly a town-and-gown partnership.” When it comes to community policing, Sgt. Rudy Oxendine ’09 is setting a high bar for his fellow officers. Business owners refer to him by his first name. Entering The Scullery for a meeting, he’s stopped multiple times by smiling citizens before he can reach his table. Leading eight officers who make up the center-city unit, Oxendine credits ECU with preparing him for these daily interactions by showing a young man from Lumberton a broader perspective of the world. “People are people, and there are tons of good people from all backgrounds,” he said. “That’s what I learned at East Carolina.” “Unlike other task forces, we’re doing anything we can to promote economic development,” Oxendine said. “The main way to do that is making sure crime is low. Our downtown is the safest it’s been in many years,” he said. Local developer Jim Ward ’74 and business partner Tom Taft have spearheaded what might be the most visible change to the uptown landscape in recent years—a large student apartment complex called The Boundary, located south of Reade Circle with easy access to Main Campus. “The thing that downtown needed was critical mass (of people),” Ward said. “It’ll really be interesting to see the impact they’ll have in that area—553 residents and their guests,” he said. “The center city is catching on. Walkable, sustainable (living) is in right now.” Ward is another lifetime Greenville resident and was shaped by his time at East Carolina in particular—specifically by former Chancellor Leo W. Jenkins. “I saw firsthand what a never-say-die attitude can do,” Ward said. “What a wonderful example he set for an impressionable young man like me.” “We have a love for Greenville. We see the energy that’s taking place,” Ward said. “There are a lot of places we could go, but we wanted to make a difference—as best we could—for Greenville.
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public service Servire. It’s a motto that is woven in the very fabric of what it means to be an East Carolina University Pirate. Service comes in many forms, but one constant is that we use every opportunity that we can, here at ECU, to serve others. 18
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC. Students Connect Service and a Bright Future East Carolina University juniors Jonelle Romero and Maggie Marshall are putting into motion ECU’s mission to serve. Romero is an Access Scholar, and Marshall is an EC Scholar. As part of their scholarships, the students are required to perform community service. For this pair, however, volunteering isn’t something they feel forced to do. It’s something they like and want to do. “Many of our students are active volunteers and give hundreds of hours of service each year,” said Melonie Bryan, who serves ECU in the Office of Enrollment Services as director of university scholarships. “Whether working with small children or college students, the behaviors learned growing up become the habits shown in adulthood.” Romero wants to be a dentist after her college days are over. As she prepares to help others, she’s also getting a little help herself through the ECU Access Scholarship program that provides grants to students who demonstrate academic potential and financial need. The $5,000 annual award ($2,500 per semester) covers tuition, fees, and books. “It’s vital really to my education because without it, I have to worry about finances and I can’t spend as much time focusing on my education,” said Romero. As an Access Scholar, Romero must complete at least 20 hours of volunteer service each year. Her freshman year, she volunteered about 50 hours at the Greenville Community Shelter (now called the Community Crossroads Center) and still volunteers there from time to time. For her sophomore year, she again spent about double the required time at the Making Pitt Fit Community Garden in Greenville and continues to volunteer there as well. “I like to kind of delve into something new but still keep doing my old thing,” she said. “The more I volunteer out here (community garden), the more I learn, the more I can take home and grow something.” Her work ethic doesn’t go unnoticed. “For her, there’s no set limit in terms of hours. It’s
Access Scholar Jonelle Romero (at right) works with Joni Torres at the Making Pitt Fit Community Garden in Greenville.
just as long as she can help and be of help, then she’ll keep on going,” said Joni Torres, manager at the community garden, adding that Romero is accessible and thorough with her work. “I feel like the more I learn, the more I can help people and the more I can have an impact on the world,” Romero said. Maggie Marshall is following her passion to become a physical therapist and eventually work with veterans. Marshall’s effort is supported through EC Scholars, the most prestigious undergraduate academic scholarship program the university offers. The four-year merit scholarship recognizes outstanding academic performance, commitment to community engagement, and strong leadership skills. Recipients receive an Honors College scholarship for four years, along with a stipend for study abroad, for a total value of $62,000. Marshall also was accepted to the Early Assurance program in physical therapy. She is guaranteed entry to the competitive ECU graduate program upon completion of her undergraduate degree, provided she satisfies program requirements. Last summer, Marshall worked a short internship at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. She has an interest in amputee care and working with prosthetics. At first Marshall thought interning at Walter Reed was going to be an emotional experience, but she said that it reaffirmed her decision to become a physical therapist.
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“It was actually a very optimistic atmosphere, and I felt inspired while I was there,” Marshall said. “I’m just very thankful for those in the military, and I would like to give back in any way I can.” Serving is something that is ingrained in Marshall. She is active with her church’s soup kitchen and has traveled with the church to build houses in Mexico for the less fortunate. “The best word for that is humbling; that’s probably the biggest feeling you get while there,” Marshall said of her experience in Mexico. As soon as the fall semester started, Marshall was with fellow Honors College students picking up trash and cleaning up the Crossroads Community Center. “Just wanting to help people—that’s, I think, in my nature. I appreciate any opportunity to do that,” Marshall said. Because of the generosity that others have shown in funding their scholarships, both Marshall and Romero intend to pay it forward as soon as they are able. “I would love to give back to the EC Scholars program and maybe finance a student on my own, like pay for an EC Scholar to go through school, because it’s helped me so much,” Marshall said. “I would love to make this kind of difference in another student’s life.” “I’ve thought about becoming a philanthropist and doing the same thing when I graduate,” Romero said. “It’s really inspiring. I know other students who also receive the scholarship, and they want to do the same thing.”
ECU MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES FOUNDATION INC.
Nursing student Brianna Horne, far left, completed the MATCH Wellness program as a seventh-grader. Today, some of the same lessons, such as growing and eating fresh vegetables, help keep kids healthy at her mother’s Martin County child care center.
Wellness Program Proves a Perfect Match for Students The Smiling Faces Child Care Center stands like a beacon in rural Martin County, its clean, white siding contrasting with the deep green of the soybean fields around it. Tiny vegetable gardens in raised boxes line the front walk and fenced-in playground beside the building. One collard plant is tall enough to shade the smiling face of the 3-year-old standing beside it. Director Bernadette Rodgers ’08—who holds a master’s degree in education from East Carolina University—and her daughter Brianna Horne lean over some pepper plants, pointing out “red” and “green” to a group of curious preschoolers. “This class helped plant our peppers and collards this year,” Rodgers said. “We grow blueberries, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes. … We use these fresh ingredients in the children’s meals.”
Horne is a senior nursing student at ECU. In 2006–2007, as a seventh-grader at Williamston Middle School in Martin County, she was one of 110 inaugural participants in a wellness program created by her science teacher, Tim Hardison ’82 ’83. Hardison learned that year that his fellow Martin County residents had the shortest life expectancy in the state. Further research revealed his rural, economically challenged county also had high rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease—illnesses often linked to obesity. Determined to help his students avoid those diseases, he developed a Web-based curriculum that combined physical activity and nutritional education with real-time data management. He called it “Motivating Adolescents with Technology to Choose Health” or MATCH Wellness (www.matchwellness.org). 20
Today, MATCH Wellness is housed under Hardison’s direction within ECU’s Pediatric Healthy Weight Research and Treatment Center and reaches more than 5,000 youth in 34 public schools throughout the Carolinas and Mississippi—the state with the third-highest adult obesity rate in the nation. MATCH has been awarded $470,000 by the North Carolina chapter of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education organization to expand into as many as 100 schools by 2018. Another $750,000 from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation is helping the team prepare for 10 times that capacity. Meanwhile, the USDA is exploring ways to promote expansion of MATCH into eight southeastern states. As a middle-schooler, Horne relayed what MATCH was teaching her about nutrition,
and those morsels were incorporated into the center’s operations, too. Staff moved the children from 2 percent to skim milk. They began substituting tortillas and whole grain bread for white bread in their sandwiches and serving fruit instead of crackers and cookies. In 2011, the center received two awards from the Child and Adult Care Food Program, a federally funded program of the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. “They were impressed by our on-site gardens,” Rodgers said. “We were ahead of the curve with government regulations like healthier menus, reduced screen times, increased activity levels.” Smiling Faces is a model program, frequently hosting visitors from other day care centers who seek input and inspiration for growing their own produce, incorporating more activity into daily schedules, and serving more nutritious food. Rodgers—or “Miss Bern,” as her students call her—attributes most of this success to what her daughter learned through MATCH.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Jennifer MacDougall, senior program officer for the BCBSNC Foundation—which has invested more than $1 million in MATCH— said “astounding” results sparked their interest in the program, and consistent results have kept them at the table. “Looking across school-based programs in North Carolina and the nation, we had never seen results as dramatic as MATCH,” she said. “MATCH has achieved significant results in the schools in our state with some of the highest rates of health disparity. … It is a critical component to combating the epidemic of childhood obesity and … could ultimately be a key factor in turning the tide.” Heather Winslow, a physical education teacher at Chowan Middle School in Chowan County, said MATCH motivates students by helping them compare their personal fitness levels to their peers’.
She said the lessons that resonate most with her students are the ones about diseases that diet and activity can impact, because most have family members living with those diseases. Eighth-grader Jadon Melendez said MATCH motivated him “to aim for the top” in his fitness goals. He reaches for water now instead of sodas and high-calorie sports drinks. Classmate Brianna Miles—who rides her bike almost daily—was surprised to learn the ingredients in foods she thought were healthier. “I used to eat sugary cereals and donuts for breakfast,” she said. “Now I tell my family to get bran and whole-grain cereals.” And therein lies the key to MATCH’s success, Hardison said. “Thirteen-year-olds are starting to feel independent—capable of influencing their own outcomes. Arm ’em with knowledge, and they’ll become agents of change.”
Physical education teacher Allen Harrell works with Krysta Styons in the MATCH Wellness program at Chowan Middle School in Tyner, North Carolina.
In fall 2006, when Hardison had his students calculate their body mass index, he discovered more than half were overweight or obese. “I knew they were at risk for obesity-related diseases—and shortened lives—but I also knew those outcomes are mostly preventable when people have the knowledge to make good choices,” said Hardison, who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical education. He set out to empower his students to make healthy choices for a lifetime. He created turnkey lessons such as “Re-think Your Drink” and “Portion Distortion” to align with educational standards—and to be delivered over 16 weeks across the curriculum to avoid overburdening individual teachers. To build support for his program, Hardison turned to Dr. Suzanne Lazorick, pediatrician and obesity researcher with ECU’s Pediatric Healthy Weight Research and Treatment Center. The unique academic-community partnership that followed has garnered about $2.75 million in grants from groups such as the N.C. Joint Legislative Task Force on Childhood Obesity, the N.C. State Board of Education, and the BCBSNC Foundation. Bolstered by Lazorick’s work, MATCH became the only school-based obesity intervention program in the country to earn a “research tested” designation from the Center for Training and Research Translation—an independent group that evaluates programs for the U.S. 21
ECU EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC. Student-Athletes Hang Up Their Cleats to Lend a Hand East Carolina University’s student-athletes completed 10,047 community service hours in fiscal year 2016.
does so much in support of our team. We also believe in helping people in our area who are less fortunate.”
Head baseball coach Cliff Godwin has made it a priority for his players to become wellrounded student-athletes on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.
On a Friday in October, the Pirates visited the food bank, helping sort and bag sweet potatoes for local soup kitchens, churches, and homeless shelters in the area. During their two hours, they sorted more than 6,000 pounds of sweet potatoes, which helped provide roughly 3,500 meals. The labor ECU donated was equivalent to $1,481.
Over two weeks in the fall, the 2015–2016 Pirates donated their time helping out with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, the Good Samaritan 5K, and Wintergreen Intermediate School. “Our guys are very blessed to play baseball at one of the best universities in the country,” Godwin said. “It is really important for us to give back to the Greenville community that
While many ECU students used fall break to get away from the everyday grind of the school semester, the Pirate baseball team spent two days working with the Good Samaritan 5K to benefit the Hope of Glory Ministries and speaking at Wintergreen Intermediate School.
The Pirates helped direct traffic, set up, and break down for the 5K, which was held in uptown Greenville. They also supported runners and helped with the timing of runners. The team went out to the Wintergreen School to speak about making good decisions. Godwin, Joe Ingle, and Evan Kruczynski spoke to all of the students before breaking out into groups to mentor them on a personal basis. After taking a group photo, the students huddled up with the Pirates and closed out the day with the “YES” chant. Servire is often called a motto, but we call it a way of life at ECU. Whether it’s helping people in our region get healthier or volunteering for area groups, service is something that is easily seen by those who bleed purple and gold.
The ECU baseball team spends time with students at Wintergreen Intermediate School. Community outreach efforts like this are important to the players and their head coach, Cliff Godwin.
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EAST CAROLINA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INC. Cadet Chooses Service for a Career
Thanks to her experiences as an ECU student and an Air Force ROTC cadet, Jessica Buss has learned firsthand what it means to serve.
Serving comes naturally to ECU senior and Air Force ROTC cadet Jessica Buss. Not only is she preparing to serve in the military, she also serves the university and the community. As the service coordinator for Detachment 600, Buss organizes volunteer service opportunities for her fellow cadets in the Greenville area. Last fall, she helped organize a blood drive for the Red Cross and a cleanup of the Tar River. “Service really resonates with me,” said Buss. “I’m naturally drawn to service organizations because I believe in their mission.” It was this commitment to service that qualified Buss for a 2015–2016 Alumni Scholarship from the East Carolina Alumni Association. Alumni Scholarships are given each spring for the following academic year on the basis of academic merit, leadership, and service. Buss has also volunteered at the Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity, the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, Rebuilding Together Pitt County, and more. “Volunteering in the community has definitely shaped who I am as a person; I see people from many different backgrounds,” she said. “It’s so nice to know that an organization like the alumni association values volunteer service so much.” While the ROTC program offers some scholarships, Buss said she is still “super grateful” for the Alumni Scholarship. “ECU is more affordable than most schools, but it can still be a burden,” she said. “Getting the Alumni Scholarship was a great feeling. It has eased my mind so much and allowed me to do more.” Buss, a native of Fayetteville, always knew she wanted to serve in the military because both of her parents served. “My dad is an Army paratrooper, and my mom is a lab technician for the Air Force,” she said. “Seeing their pride in what they do really inspired me to serve. In every capacity, they inspire me.”
Buss and her older sister are the first generation in their family to go to college. Buss originally wanted to go straight into the military, but her parents convinced her of the importance of a college degree. Buss said ECU was her top choice because of its quality education and programs such as ROTC. ROTC also allows Buss to develop her skills as a leader. She completed summer leadership training, a competitive program about 60 percent of cadets nationwide are accepted into between their sophomore and junior years. Based in Alabama and Mississippi, this 28-day field camp provides training in physical conditioning, weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and survival skills. Those who successfully complete the program get a four-year contract with the Air Force. “Field training gave many amazing opportunities to actually apply our leadership skills,” she said. “We learned quickly that leadership isn’t a starring role. Ultimately, our leadership ability was measured by the success of those we were leading. That’s one lesson that I will carry with me everywhere I go, that being a leader means that you give up the right to think about yourself.” Buss is now in her second year as her unit’s service coordinator. 23
“My goal is to bring people together,” she said. “My favorite part of serving is a tie between the people we meet and the impact we leave behind.” For Buss, serving the country, community, and university are one. “To me, it’s all unified,” she said. “Serving in all these ways just makes sense to me. This university has given so much to me; it’s only natural to give back.” Buss’s fellow Alumni Scholars all display this commitment to community service, one of the hallmarks of the Alumni Scholarship program. Recipients are also encouraged to get involved with alumni programs as a way to say thank you to the university and network with alumni. Twenty recipients of 2016–2017 Alumni Scholarships received a total of $37,500 thanks to the generosity of ECU alumni and donors. The Alumni Scholarship program is funded with proceeds from two signature fundraisers, the ECU Alumni Scholarship Classic golf tournament each fall and the Pirate Alumni Road Race and Fun Run each spring. Proceeds are increased when sponsors such as Hilton Greenville and PotashCorp Aurora help cover expenses of hosting these events.
setting the course FOR EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY Thank you for taking the time to read the 2015–2016 East Carolina University (ECU) foundations’ annual report. As with last year’s report, this year’s format focuses more on telling the stories about the impact of philanthropy focusing on student success, serving the public, and regional transformation. I am pleased to once again report that fundraising at East Carolina hit a high in fiscal year 2016. Total giving across all four foundations to ECU was $56 million in commitments. In the following pages of this report, you will see how each of the foundations partnered with you, our volunteers and supporters, to advance ECU through commitments to endowment support, programs, academics, athletics, and capital projects. The 2015–2016 year was one of transition for ECU. As the year began, Dr. Steve Ballard announced that on June 30, 2016, he would step down as chancellor after 12 years of service. Dr. Ballard has served as a close partner with the Division of University Advancement and the affiliated foundations, and we greatly appreciate and celebrate his contributions Christopher M. Dyba Vice Chancellor for University Advancement; President, East Carolina University Foundation
to advancing our great university through growth in the health sciences, athletics, and academics. Dr. Ballard’s resignation meant that the focus was on finding ECU’s next chancellor to build upon the successes of the past. Through the collective effort of many involved in the recruitment, in the summer of 2016, we were pleased to welcome Dr. Cecil Staton as ECU’s 11th chancellor. Dr. Staton and his wife, Catherine, join us from the state of Georgia, where he served as a state senator, a university president, a scholar, and a businessman. It’s an exciting time to be a Pirate. Fiscal year 2015–2016 saw record fundraising due to ambitious plans and aspirations. As Chancellor Staton mentioned in his opening letter, we are building momentum for a comprehensive campaign that will set a course for ECU to be the next great national university. But we cannot do it without you, our loyal volunteers and supporters. Thank you for your dedication to East Carolina University so that we may continue to support our students’ successes, serve the public, and transform the region.
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Other Noncapital Grants
6%
revenue
Tuition and Fees
Sources of Revenue for ECU This Year
State Appropriations
21%
The largest source of revenue for East Carolina University comes from the services it provides. These services include tuition, fees, student housing and dining services, and patient medical services. State appropriations are the single largest portion of revenue. Grants from and contracts with governmental and not-for-profit organizations are also major sources of revenue. Charitable gifts to the university’s foundations are an increasingly important source of revenue.
33%
Grants and Contracts
5% Gifts
2%
Sales and Services
10% Capital Grants and Other Income
1%
Commitments to ECU’s Foundations Commitments the ECU-related foundations have continued to rise through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016. These amounts include cash giving, pledges received, sponsored projects realized, and planned giving totals at face value.
23%
$56
$39 DOLLARS (rounded to the closest million)
commitments
Patient Services
$33
$33 $29 $25
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Other Organizations
7% Charitable Foundations
11%
sources Alumni
49%
Sources of Gifts to ECU’s Foundations This Year Alumni are the largest group of contributors to the university’s foundations, representing 49 percent of total giving. Other individuals and corporations account for the next largest sources of contributions at 20 percent and 14 percent, respectively. Other individuals include parents and nonalumni contributors.
Corporations
14%
Other Individuals
20%
25
foundation support
$24.9
Facility Enhancements
8%
$20.5
$19.7
$19.3
$18.3
$13.4 Programs
DOLLARS (in millions)
43%
Scholarships
49%
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Foundations’ Support of ECU in 2015–2016
Foundations’ Support of ECU since 2011
The ECU-related foundations provided a total of $20.5 million in support of the university and its programs during fiscal year 2016. This support funded scholarships, programs, and facility enhancements.
During the past six years, the ECU-related foundations have provided approximately $116 million in support to the university.
assets Net Assets of ECU’s Foundations (millions of dollars) 2011
ECU FOUNDATION
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
$ 88.8
$ 87.6
$ 98.0
$114.0
$116.6
$114.6
ECU MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES FOUNDATION
34.6
34.8
38.2
45.2
44.0
41.5
ECU EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
30.1 28.5 30.7 30.8 24.6 22.4
EAST CAROLINA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION TOTAL NET ASSETS
1.8
1.8
2.0
2.8
2.7
3.0
$155.3 $152.7 $168.9 $192.8 $187.9 $181.5
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$164
$170
$167
2015
2016
$145 $129
$128
endowments Market Value of Endowments at East Carolina University (NACUBO Survey) DOLLARS (in millions)
Endowments are important to East Carolina University because they provide perpetual financial support. The perpetual nature of endowments makes them an important component of university funding.
2011
Cash
2012
2013
2014
1% Alternatives
23%
portfolio
U.S. Equities
35%
Investment Portfolio The investment objective for the foundations’ endowment portfolio is to manage the portfolio in a manner that will maximize the benefits intended by donors, support the university’s programs, and generate sufficient long-term growth of capital without undue exposure to risk. The portfolio is designed to provide a sustainable level of spending distributions, as well as enhance the real (inflation-adjusted) purchasing power of the endowments. The portfolio is invested in a diversified asset allocation.
International Equities
21%
Fixed Income
20%
8.70%
performance
ECU Blended Funds Benchmark Combined
Investment Portfolio Performance (NACUBO Survey) The blended benchmark is composed of a broad target weighted pool of benchmarks that closely represent the combined overall investment allocation of the university and related entities. It is made up of 55 percent MSCI ACWI, 22 percent Barclays Aggregate, 2.5 percent Bloomberg Commodities, 2.5 percent FTSE NAREIT All Equity, 13 percent HFRI ROR Conservative Index, and 5 percent US91 Day T-Bills.
4.66% 4.70%
7.20%
5.04%
4.60%
4.30%
4.10%
-3.32% -0.80%
1-YEAR
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3-YEAR
5-YEAR
7-YEAR
10-YEAR
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC.
review YEAR IN
This has been another exciting year for East Carolina University, with perhaps the most significant event being the installation of our 11th chancellor. The ECU Foundation is proud to have been represented in the search process by Margaret Ward, a long-serving member of the ECU Foundation board. Thanks to the diligence of this committee, the university has at its helm a scholar, a statesman, an educator, and an entrepreneur Dr. Cecil Staton. Already, Chancellor Staton has set a new standard for excellence at East Carolina University, clearly articulating his vision for ECU to become America’s next great national university. All of us at the ECU Foundation believe that Chancellor Staton brings the background, experience, and skill set to execute on this vision, and we look forward to supporting him and the university in pursuit of this bold vision.
Kirk A. Dominick Chair East Carolina University Foundation
As a foundation, we work to support the underlying themes of ECU: student success, public service, and regional transformation. Through the generosity and support of our investors and partners, we are able to provide opportunities for tomorrow’s leaders to access a high-quality education—something many of them would otherwise be unable to afford. Through the provision of need-based scholarships that expand opportunities and merit-based scholarships that celebrate achievement, we are indeed driving student success. This past year alone, more than $2.67 million was awarded through 1,328 scholarships. Enabling young people to achieve their dreams of obtaining a degree from East Carolina University is at the core of who we are as a foundation. The return on investment is immeasurable. Your support of the ECU Foundation is producing graduates whose impact on the state, region, and around the globe will be felt for generations to come. More than $18 million was raised within the ECU Foundation during fiscal year 2016, and all signs are positive as we move toward the university’s next comprehensive campaign. On behalf of all board members, a special thank you to Vice Chancellor Chris Dyba, who continues to serve as president of the East Carolina University Foundation. He has provided strong leadership and a level of enthusiasm that motivates all to invest in the work of the foundation. The ECU Foundation board of directors is made up of community and business leaders who bring a diverse set of backgrounds and skill sets in service to ECU. Much of this body’s work is accomplished through a very active committee structure, and I would like to personally thank the committee chairs for their dedication and support this year. A sincere thank you as well to the entire ECU Foundation staff for their hard work and dedication in service to our university. This vision to become America’s next great national university is something we at the ECU Foundation take very seriously. While we are all proud of our rich history and tremendous accomplishments to date, we recognize that achieving this vision will require more—more effort, more commitment, and yes, more funding. As you review this annual report and reflect on this past year, I encourage us all to do so thoughtfully yet briefly. While we should always take time to celebrate our successes, we must turn our focus forward as we have much work ahead. As a foundation, we remain unwavering in our commitment to our mission of funding the margin of excellence at ECU. We thank you for your continued support.
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POINTS OF DISTINCTION
new endowments
32
$207,654
$1,674,963
$25,000
in Annual Giving
raised on
challenge gift from
Dr. Jerry McGee ’66
24 new
731
LEO W. JENKINS SOCIETY M
E
M
B
E
R
S
36
106 new
ORDER OF THE CUPOLA M
E
M
B
E
R
new donors who gave $100or more
S
( 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 6 )
29
renewed donors who increased their gift by more than $100
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC.
mission The East Carolina University Foundation is a dynamic, forward-looking volunteer organization that plays a critical role in advancing our university. This tax-exempt body cultivates friends; raises, manages, and distributes private resources to benefit the institution, its students, and its academic programs; provides positive public advocacy; and ensures the “margin of excellence” that defines East Carolina University today and in the future.
officers PRESIDENT Christopher M. Dyba President, ECU Foundation; Vice Chancellor, University Advancement, East Carolina University Greenville, NC CHAIR Kirk A. Dominick Principal, I2 Consulting Greenville, NC VICE CHAIR Angela A. Allen Former Vice President, IBM Global Business Services (Retired) Raleigh, NC SECRETARY William G. Blount President, Home Builders Supply Greenville, NC
ECU Foundation financial statement The annual financial report from our auditors, Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP, and the IRS Form 990 are available for review on our website at www.ecu.edu/give or by contacting our accounting manager, Britt Sholar, at 252-328-9596 or sholarj@ecu.edu.
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ASSISTANT SECRETARY Nicholas P. Crabtree Owner, Crabworks Greenville, NC ASSISTANT SECRETARY James M. Galloway, MD Partner, Pitt Family Physicians Greenville, NC TREASURER Frederick D. Niswander, PhD Vice Chancellor, Administration and Finance, East Carolina University Greenville, NC PAST CHAIR W. Kendall Chalk Former Senior Executive Vice President and CCO, BB&T Corporation (Retired) Winston-Salem, NC
board of directors William M. Bogey Jr., MD Vascular Surgeon, ECU Physicians Greenville, NC Donald K. Brinkley Regional Community Relationship Manager, the little bank Inc. New Bern, NC Suzanne J. Brooks Executive Vice President, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Central VA Keswick, VA Frances B. Bryan Real Estate Agent, Bryan Properties Chapel Hill, NC Carlester T. Crumpler Vice President, Bank of America Atlanta, GA Stephen R. Cunanan Chief People Officer, Kindred Healthcare Louisville, KY W. Kurt Fickling President, FIRM Consulting LLC Greenville, NC M. Dustin Field CEO, Tobacco Road Cellars Raleigh, NC David W. Fisher Executive Vice President, BB&T Vero Beach, FL S. Reid Fogleman President & Managing Partner, Cotton Bar, LLC Raleigh, NC David G. Fussell Jr. President, Duplin Winery Wallace, NC W. Phillip Hodges President, Metrics Inc. (Retired) Williamston, NC A. Wayne Holloman Owner, Wayne Holloman & Associates Greenville, NC Alvin B. Hutzler II President, Cliff Weil Inc. Richmond, VA Lynn L. Lane Former Senior Vice President and Treasurer, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco (Retired) Chocowinity, NC Valeria Lassiter CEO, Lassiter & Associates, LLC Columbia, MD Walter B. Latham, MD Retired Surgeon and Former CEO of Medfacts Inc. Elon, NC Kevin M. Monroe Assistant Vice President, CAPTRUST Financial Advisors Raleigh, NC
ex-officio
Angela N. Moss Investment Director, UNC Management Company Inc. Raleigh, NC
Steve Ballard, PhD Chancellor, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Jim H. Mullen III Former Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources (Retired), East Carolina University Greenville, NC
J. Christopher Buddo, DMA Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communication, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Brenda D. Myrick Systems Engineer, Information Services, Vidant Health Greenville, NC
William M. Downs, PhD Dean, Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
W. Keller Normann Managing Director, Normann Financial Group Sanford, NC
Stanley G. Eakins, PhD Dean, College of Business, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Robert B. Plybon CEO, Plybon & Associates Greensboro, NC
Paul J. Gemperline, PhD Dean, Graduate School, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Walter J. Pories, MD Professor of Surgery and Biochemistry, Department of Surgery, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Glen G. Gilbert, PhD Dean, College of Health and Human Performance, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Julian W. Rawl Partner, Preston Development Company Greenville, NC
Virginia D. Hardy, PhD Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
R. Randolph Reid Division President, David Weekley Homes Clayton, NC
B. Grant Hayes, PhD Dean, College of Education, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Irwin C. Roberts Senior VP, Franchising, Golden Corral Corporation Raleigh, NC
Gail Herring Chair, East Carolina Women’s Roundtable; Senior Vice President, First Citizens Bank Wilmington, NC
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Vincent C. Smith Board Adjudicator, Department of Defense Vienna, VA
Steven W. Jones Chair, ECU Board of Trustees; Chief Banking Officer, Yadkin Bank Raleigh, NC
Heather M. Stepp Realtor, Keller Williams Greenville, NC Jon E. Strickland Senior Vice President, CAPTRUST Financial Advisors Raleigh, NC Mark E. Tipton CEO, Whistler Investment Group, LLC Wake Forest, NC Clay Walker CEO, Big Teams, LLC Potomac, MD Margaret C. Ward Former Educator (Retired) Burlington, NC T. Frederick Webb, DDS Periodontist; President, TFW Greenville, NC Douglas H. (Wil) Wilkinson III President, Wilkinson Automotive Inc. Sanford, NC Samuel J. Wornom President, Nouveau Investments Inc. Sanford, NC
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Janice S. Lewis Dean, Academic Library and Learning Resources, East Carolina University Greenville, NC Ronald L. Mitchelson, PhD Provost, East Carolina University Greenville, NC Glenda Moultrie Chair, East Carolina Alumni Association Board; Owner, L&L Travel and Tours Derwood, MD Stephen D. Showfety Chair, Green Town Properties, East Carolina University; President, Koury Corporation Greensboro, NC Michael Van Scott Vice Chancellor, Division of Research and Graduate Studies, East Carolina University Greenville, NC Burney S. Warren III Chair, ECU Real Estate Foundation, East Carolina University; Executive Vice President, BB&T (Retired) Greenville, NC David M. White, PhD Dean, College of Engineering and Technology; Interim Dean Honors College, East Carolina University Greenville, NC The list above is as of June 30, 2016. A current list of board members and administration can be found online at www.ecu.edu/give.
ECU MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES FOUNDATION INC.
review YEAR IN
The 2015–2016 year at the ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation was a year of challenge, change, progress, and fundraising success. We successfully navigated the challenges presented by state funding reductions by closely examining sources of expense and revenue, by making adjustments in staffing and programmatic support, and by reallocating earnings from our investments to allow us to work within our approved budget. Changes in staffing and programmatic funding required us to employ conservative operating practices, which we accomplished by focusing on efficiency and effectiveness, but also with a significant additional investment by our foundation board in our personnel and day-to-day operations. Our progress was driven by our board and strategic plan, a working document with a “dashboard” that provides our leadership and staff with a visual guide to monitor our progress toward goals. Despite our challenges and changes, our foundation made excellent progress on many fronts and posted the most successful fundraising year in our history—recording more than $15.4 million in gifts, grants, pledges and commitments! My special thanks to the Medical & Health Sciences Foundation team and board of directors for their dedication, commitment, and outstanding service.
Jon Day Chair ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation
Highlights from 2015–2016 include the following: • More than 650 in-person donor visits and a record $15.4 million in total philanthropic attainment • More than $6 million in bequest commitments, including gifts in family medicine, psychiatry, health and nutrition, and occupational therapy • More than $6 million in corporate and foundation gifts and grants • Gifts of $100,000+ in all of our medical and health sciences colleges and schools • Recording of 13 planned gifts and creation of 12 new endowments • Through our 297 scholarship funds, distribution of over $935,000 to deserving medical and health sciences students Our medical and health sciences programs continue to produce record numbers of highly skilled graduates who go on to provide extraordinary care for the people of eastern North Carolina. Across our programs, we now have nearly 20,000 medical and health sciences graduates, and the vast majority practice in our state and region. The Medical & Health Sciences Foundation Board of Directors are proud to advance our mission of transforming health care in our region by providing resources for student and faculty success. I am excited about the opportunity to work with our new chancellor, Dr. Cecil Staton. Dr. Staton has made it very clear that our medical and health sciences program will be a top university priority, including our next philanthropic campaign. I believe with his energy, enthusiasm, and vision, as well as his strong partnership with the leaders of our academic medical partners at Vidant Health, we have an amazing opportunity to improve the lives of the people of our organization, region, state, and nation. I appreciate your partnership and generous support.
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POINTS OF DISTINCTION
12
new endowments
297
13
planned gifts totaling
$6,360,999.67
$15.48million in external support from individuals, corporations, and foundations, including
individual scholarships distributed totaling
$935,918
$9.09 million $6.39 million
in gifts, pledges, and commitments and
in external grant funding received
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ECU MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES FOUNDATION INC.
mission The East Carolina University Medical & Health Sciences Foundation Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to provide resources to ensure student and faculty success and transform health care in the region.
ECU Medical & Health Sciences financial statement The annual financial report from our auditors, Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP, and the IRS Form 990 are available for review on our website at www.ecu.edu/give or by contacting our accounting manager, Britt Sholar, at 252-328-9596 or sholarj@ecu.edu.
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officers
board of directors
PRESIDENT Mark Notestine, PhD President, ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation; Associate Vice Chancellor, University Advancement, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Steve Ballard, PhD Chancellor, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
CHAIR Jonathan R. Day President, Jon Day & Associates Inc. Greenville, NC VICE CHAIR Vincent Robert (Rob) Jones CEO, the little bank Greenville, NC SECRETARY Stacy C. Brody Community Volunteer Greenville, NC TREASURER Gary R. Vanderpool Executive Associate Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences Administration and Finance, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
B. Mayo Boddie Jr. Vice President, Bay Foods Rocky Mount, NC
Gregory Hassler, JD, PhD Interim Dean, College of Allied Health Sciences, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
emeritus members
Phyllis N. Horns, PhD, RN, FAAN Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Alice H. Bost Community Volunteer Greenville, NC
Todd Kornegay, MD New Hanover Medical Group Wilmington, NC
David S. Brody Brody Associates Kinston, NC
Dasha E. Little President/CEO, Apogee Solutions Inc. Chesapeake, VA
Sylvia T. Brown, EdD Dean, College of Nursing, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
J. Gregory Nelson, MD Rocky Mount Orthopaedics Center Rocky Mount, NC
Cassandra B. Burt Community Volunteer Emerald Isle, NC
Frederick D. Niswander, PhD Vice Chancellor, Administration and Finance, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Yonnie Butler Director of Business Development, Wake Forest Innovations Winston-Salem, NC
Suzanne Pecheles Community Volunteer Greenville, NC
Angela M. Cayton Partner, Cayton, Collins, Asbell, Ward & Greene Greenville, NC
Diane A. Poole Retired, Vidant Health Kinston, NC
Gregory Chadwick, DDS Dean, School of Dental Medicine, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Douglas Privette, MD, FACC Director, Regional Development, East Carolina Heart Institute at Vidant Medical Center Greenville, NC
Sue Collier Clinical Content Development Lead, American Hospital Association Greenville, NC
Fernando R. Puente, MD President, Raleigh Dermatology Raleigh, NC
Paul R. G. Cunningham, MD, FACS Dean, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Mary J. Raab, MD Retired, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Brody School of Medicine Greenville, NC
Christopher M. Dyba Vice Chancellor, University Advancement, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Tom Robinson Retired, Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Food Lion, LLC Salisbury, NC
E. Bradley Evans Attorney, Ward & Smith Winterville, NC
Thomas L. Southern Mass Mutual Financial Group New Bern, NC
William “Will” P. Franklin, Jr. Senior Vice President, First-Citizens Bank & Trust Greenville, NC
Kathryn H. Walker Community Volunteer Winterville, NC
Robert J. Greczyn Jr. Owner, RJG Restaurant Group Cary, NC
David L. Ward Jr. Attorney, Ward & Smith, P.A. New Bern, NC
R. Scott Griffin President, Practicon Greenville, NC
Stephen “Lamont” Wooten, MD Orthopedic Surgeon Greenville, NC
Donald L. Hardee, DDS President, Donald L. Hardee, DDS Greenville, NC
Dennis A. Young Retired, Executive Director/MGO, ECU Educational Foundation Wallace, NC
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Hyman J. Brody BrodyCo Inc. Greenville, NC James W. Chesnutt President/CEO, National Spinning Co. Washington, NC Thomas L. Edwards, Sr. President, Carolina Ice Company Inc. Kinston, NCC John M. Hines Former (Retired) Vice President, A. C. Monk Tobacco Company Beaufort, NC Eloise K. Howard Community Volunteer Greenville, NC Robert (Roddy) L. Jones Developer, Davidson & Jones Group Raleigh, NC Ledyard E. Ross, DDS Retired, Dentist Greenville, NC H. L. Stephenson III Ward & Smith, PA Winterville, NC Shelby S. Strother Retired, Educator Edenton, NC The list above is as of June 30, 2015. A current list of board members and administration can be found online at www.ecu.edu/give.
ECU EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC.
review YEAR IN
As I began my term as executive president of the ECU Educational Foundation Inc., better known as the Pirate Club, a new chapter was being written in ECU’s history with plans underway to renovate the southside of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Pirate Nation has been filled with excitement as they are seeing this long-awaited project, which will change the skyline of Greenville, about to become reality. This $55 million project, which is part of a long-term athletics facilities plan, shows our conference, our state, and fans around the nation the “Undaunted” commitment that we have to ECU Athletics. Pirate Club members have stepped up quickly to show their support for this project with major philanthropic gifts and by making commitments to fill the majority of the 1,000 new premium seats that are being created. As a Greenville native and lifetime resident, I have witnessed the growth of the Pirate Athletics programs and facilities. The heart of this community beats with passion, excitement, and commitment for the Pirates. It is truly an honor and privilege for me to have the opportunity to serve the Pirate Nation as executive president of this foundation. It is also my honor to serve with a board of business leaders and professionals who have made considerable investments in Pirate Athletics through the commitment of their time and resources. They are
Danny Nichols Executive President ECU Educational Foundation
dedicated to excellence both in athletic competition and in the classroom. The Pirate Club’s mission is to support student-athletic scholarships. In 2016, we supported more than 430 student-athletes, and set an all-time high in the Annual Scholarship Fund with $7,738,084 pledged. The Pirate Club’s membership for the year was 17,449 members, which included 10,748 Student Pirate Club members. Thank you to each and every Pirate Club member for your support. I’m proud to report that the foundation is financially strong and that it continues to grow. We are proud of the many accomplishments, but there is more to be done. We are committed to the Pirates competing at the highest level. With your “Undaunted” support, we can make that happen. Go Pirates!
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POINTS OF DISTINCTION
CHARLOTTE •
17,449
GREENVILLE • RALEIGH
Total Members
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation
$55-million
A endeavor, part of a long-term athletics facilities master plan
430
More than student-athletes supported in
10,350
2016
Student Pirate Club members
All-time high in
Annual Scholarship Fund support:
$7,738,084 pledged 37
ECU EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC.
mission The mission of the East Carolina University Educational Foundation, also known as the Pirate Club, is to be the friend-raising and fundraising arm of East Carolina University’s Division I athletics program. By conducting annual fund campaigns in support of Pirate student-athlete scholarships and capital campaigns in support of athletic facility enhancements and other programmatic needs, the Pirate Club seeks to bring positive recognition to East Carolina University and the region it serves through a competitive athletics program.
ECU Educational Foundation financial statement The annual financial report from our auditors, Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP, and the IRS Form 990 are available for review on our website at www.ecupirateclub.com or by contacting our controller, Kevin Hale, at 252-737-2899 or halek@ecu.edu.
38
executive committee EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT Danny Nichols President, SCA Collections Inc. Greenville, NC EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Tim Martin President, Bobby Murray Toyota Rocky Mount, NC IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Carl Rogers President and CEO, Dubose National Energy Services Inc. Clinton, NC EXECUTIVE TREASURER Frederick D. Niswander Vice Chancellor, Administration and Finance, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR J. Batt Senior Associate Athletics Director, ECU Educational Foundation Greenville, NC ECU CHANCELLOR Steve Ballard, PhD Chancellor, East Carolina Univeristy Greenville, NC
2014–2016 directors
2015–2017 directors
Mike Ash President, European Tooling Systems Inc. Washington, NC
Mike Aman Founder/President, One Source Communications Greenville, NC
Elaine Denton Business Owner/Administrator, Engraving/Network Finance LLC Greenville, NC
DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Jeff Compher Director of Athletics, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Perry Hudson Parks & Recreation Director, City of Dunn Dunn, NC
FACULTY ATHLETICS REPRESENTATIVE Cal Christian, PhD, CPA College of Business, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Robert T. Maynard Vice President/General Manager (Retired), John Deere Company (Southeast Region), A Division of John Deere Company, Moline, IL Raleigh, NC
DIRECTOR EMERITUS Walter L. Williams Founder, Trade Mart Greenville, NC
Michael Steadman Owner/Manager, The Landsouth Company LLC Fayetteville, NC
COUNSEL Walter Hinson Senior Partner, Hinson & Rhyne, PA Wilson, NC FINANCIAL DIRECTOR Sherilyn Johnson Administration and Finance, East Carolina University Greenville, NC
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David Garrard Former NFL Quarterback and Franchisee, Retro Fitness Jacksonville, FL Glenn Hall President, National Finance Company Little River, SC Curtis Struyk President, Carolina Ocean Lines Morehead City, NC Paul Trevisan President, Roman Mosaic & Tile Company Chester Springs, PA The list above is as of June 30, 2015. A current list of board members and administration can be found online at www.ecu.edu/give.
EAST CAROLINA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INC.
review YEAR IN
This past year has been all about getting back to basics, but also finding new ways to fulfill our long-standing purpose of supporting ECU. At the East Carolina Alumni Association, we’ve been working on ways to help fulfill the university’s three central commitments in the 2014–2019 strategic plan: student success, public service, and regional transformation. The most significant way we help student success is through the Alumni Scholarship program. In addition to helping students afford college, we also offer them unique opportunities to network with alumni, including our board members. In the spring of 2016, we announced 20 Alumni Scholarships for a total of $37,500, to be given in the 2016–2017 school year. So far, we’ve given 252 scholarships totaling nearly $350,000 since the program’s beginning in 2005 through the 2015–2016 year. The scholarship program is so important to providing funds to so many deserving students. Many times, these students are the first child to attend a university and the proud look on the faces of both the parents and the child tells a story all by itself.
Glenda Palmer-Moultrie ’79 Chair East Carolina Alumni Association
Our Alumni Scholarship program would not be possible without the involvement and generosity of alumni and supporters who participated in our two main scholarship fundraisers: the ECU Alumni Scholarship Classic golf tournament and the Pirate Alumni Road Race & Fun Run. Both events were successful, especially the spring 2016 road race, which raised more than $14,000 in net proceeds, compared to $6,000 the previous year. This huge gain was thanks to new sponsors like PotashCorp Aurora. We’ve also been busy re-engaging many of our regional and affinity groups and strengthening our membership program. We launched our Military Alumni Chapter and started a new recent graduate membership rate as part of adjustments to our dues. Before regular dues went up, we had a highly successful “Join in June” campaign that raised more than $18,000 and 378 memberships! We are excited to continue building momentum toward a new Alumni Center in the Uptown Greenville district. This new center would be a transformational step in achieving the alumni association’s mission to inform, involve and serve our 165,000+ alumni worldwide. It would truly be a “front porch” for our university and our community—a place where Pirates can gather and connect through events, reunions, meetings, and more! Some of my favorite memories from the past year include getting to know my fellow board members and their families and the talents they bring to our institution. I’ve also enjoyed going on campus and speaking with students and sharing my stories from ECU in the late ’70s and hoping to let them get a clearer picture of how far our university has moved forward (even though we have many miles to go). We will always work to fulfill our mission of informing, involving, and serving all members of the East Carolina family throughout their lifelong relationship with the university.
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POINTS OF DISTINCTION
168,162 TOTAL LIVING ALUMNI
Lifetime 2,039
8,243 147
Centennial 98 Annual 4,474
participants at
6,611 members
events
3,782,305
Š
e-mails sent
Fall 2015 golf tournament raised $25,069, with 168 golfers
Spring 2016 road race raised $14,594 with 442 runners
453,965 website page views
Facebook: 11.5K fans Twitter: 7.5K followers LinkedIn: 11K members
$39,633 raised for the
Alumni Scholarship Fund 41
EAST CAROLINA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INC.
mission The East Carolina Alumni Association is the constituency of former students whose continuing interest and support have helped ECU become known as one of the finest comprehensive universities in the South. The alumni association will inform, involve, and serve members of the ECU family throughout their lifelong relationship with the university.
ECAA financial statement The annual financial report from our auditors, Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP, and the IRS Form 990 are available for review on our website at www.ecu.edu/give or by contacting our accounting manager, Britt Sholar, at 252-328-9596 or sholarj@ecu.edu.
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executive committee PRESIDENT Heath Bowman President, East Carolina Alumni Association; Associate Vice Chancellor, University Advancement, East Carolina University Greenville, NC CHAIR Glenda Palmer-Moultrie ’79 Owner, L&L Travel and Tours Derwood, MD VICE CHAIR John Israel ’82 Command Recreation Specialist, US Air Force (Retired) Norfolk, VA SECRETARY Mark Garner ’77 Vice President, Rivers and Associates, Inc. Greenville, NC TREASURER Oliver “Tim” Willis ’12 Quality Assurance Engineer, Fidelity Investments Durham, NC PAST CHAIR Neal Crawford ’85 President, Monarch Bank Norfolk, VA
board of directors
Duane Grooms ’80 ’82 Assistant Athletics Director for Facilities Services, University of South Carolina Columbia, SC
Michael Aho ’02 Diplomat, Department of State McLean, VA
James Hammond ’66 Public High School Teacher (Retired) Poughkeepsie, NY
Sheridan Barnes ’86 Senior Manufacturing Supervisor, Grifols Inc. Micro, NC
Kathy Herring ’90 ’95 Legislative Researcher, NC East Alliance Chambers Greenville, NC
Jim Dill ’79 President and Executive Director, The Virginia College Fund Richmond, VA
Melanie Holden ’79 Employee Relations Specialist, Duke Raleigh Hospital Raleigh, NC
Neil Dorsey ’65 ’66 Director of Alternate Sentencing, Howard County Sheriff’s Office, MD (Retired) Winterville, NC
Phil Houston ’77 CEO, QVerity Inc. Greenville, NC
Ralph Finch ’67 President, Virginia Land Company Midlothian, VA
Wesley Johnson ’85 President, Southern States Sales Powder Springs, GA
Jeff Foster ’83 Attorney, Foster Law Firm Winterville, NC
Angela Moss ’97 ’98 Director of Investments, UNC Management Company Inc. Raleigh, NC
Keith Frazier ’94 Assistant Vice President, American Kennel Club Raleigh, NC Robin Good ’80 Business Development Manager, Wehco Media Inc. Katy, TX
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Joy Ruhmann ’81 President, Level Up Leadership Inc. Raleigh, NC Tyna Sloate ’90 Executive Producer, Blueprint NYC New York, NY Dan Spuller ’06 ’07 Public Information Officer, NC Department of Commerce Raleigh, NC Harry Stubbs ’74 ’77 FDIC (Retired) Greenville, NC Lynnette Taylor ’97 Anchor, WITN-7 News Winterville, NC Linda Thomas ’80 Human Resources, Duke Energy Charlotte, NC Jason Tomasula ’00 ’03 ’10 Senior Credit Administration Officer, North State Bank Greenville, NC
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY’S
giving
ORD E R OF T H E
Cupola
The Order of the Cupola, our most prestigious benefactor-recognition program, was established to honor major lifetime donors to East Carolina University. Its name is taken from the campus’s most historic landmark, the Old Austin Cupola. In 1996, a replica of the cupola was erected in the center of Main Campus as a symbol of the university’s commitment to its traditions and to future progress. Individuals, businesses, and foundations that have made cumulative gifts of $100,000 or more to East Carolina are recognized in the Order of the Cupola. Recognition is based on combined gift totals of cash, securities, and real property to the ECU Foundation, the ECU Educational Foundation, and the ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation.
Leo W. Jenkins SOCI ETY The Leo W. Jenkins Society, the university’s planned giving society, bears the name of one of ECU’s most distinguished leaders and was established in 2001 to honor philanthropic benefactors of the university. Contributors of various forms of planned gifts display solidarity with Chancellor Jenkins’s legacy by investing the fruits of their labor toward East Carolina’s pursuit of excellence. Membership in the society is conferred upon all benefactors who have included East Carolina in their estate plans by means of a bequest provision in their will or living trust or by naming the university as beneficiary of a planned-giving arrangement, life insurance policy, or pension plan.
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societies Chancellor’s SOCI ETY The Chancellor’s Society was established to recognize alumni, parents, organizations, corporations and foundations, faculty and staff, and friends of the university who make annual gifts of $1,000 or more in support of East Carolina’s academic programs. Chancellor’s Societylevel gifts are essential to producing an exceptional education and go a long way to enhance the student experience and provide the tools our faculty needs. Recognition within the society is based on annual gifts during ECU’s fiscal year of July 1 to June 30 of $1,000 or more to the ECU Foundation and/or the ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation.
Doubloon CI R C L E The Doubloon Circle is East Carolina University’s annual giving loyalty recognition society. In a nod to our pirate heritage as the doubloon is most often recognized as the currency of legendary seafarers, the Circle is allencompassing to honor alumni, friends, faculty and staff, corporate, business, and foundation partners who faithfully provide annual support to the university. Doubloon Circle recognizes consistency in giving. Members of Doubloon Circle, through their gifts, improve the student experience by enhancing curriculum and offering additional opportunities inside and outside of our classrooms, exam rooms, labs, research facilities, stages, and studios.
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give
WAYS TO
Frequently Asked Questions about Making Gifts to East Carolina
46
What types of gifts can I give? How will my gift be used?
What are life-income gifts? Here are three examples of gifts that provide lifetime income and future project support.
There are three main categories:
Charitable Gift Annuities Gift annuities provide a fixed rate of return to one or two annuitants. Older donors receive higher rates.
Unrestricted Funds Allows for funds to be directed to areas of pressing need. Restricted Funds Designated for a specific program of the donor’s personal interest.
Deferred Charitable Gift Annuities An excellent supplemental retirement fund vehicle, payments are deferred to some future date with the payout rate determined by the deferral period and the age of the donor at the time payments begin.
Named Endowed Funds A minimum contribution of $25,000 made through a lifetime gift or by bequest establishes an endowed fund, which can be named for a person of the donor’s choice. The principal is preserved while the income supports the program. The university has established minimum gift levels for scholarship, professorship, fellowship, research, and other special funds.
Charitable Remainder Trusts A personalized trust in which the donor selects the payout rate (unitrust) or fixed annuity (annuity trust) to receive during the trust’s duration. Because they can require involvement of an administrator and/or money manager, trusts are generally cost effective at levels of $250,000 or more.
What assets can I give? When making a gift, remember to designate the gift toward one of the four foundations at ECU: • East Carolina University Foundation Inc.: #56-6093187 • East Carolina University Medical & Health Sciences Foundation Inc.: #23-7138921 • East Carolina University Educational Foundation Inc. (Pirate Club): #56-6061192 • East Carolina University Alumni Association: #23-7148126
What other ways can I give? Online Giving www.ecu.edu/give Bequests For many donors, a gift made through their will is the best way to make a substantial contribution. Donors can leave a percentage of their estate or a specific dollar amount to any of the four foundations at ECU. A bequest can reduce or eliminate federal estate taxes without depleting current assets.
Cash A gift of cash is the simplest and most immediate way to give. Cash gifts may be pledged over a multiyear period for fulfilling larger commitments. Cash gifts are fully deductible up to 50 percent of the donor’s adjusted gross income.
Gifts from your IRA or Qualified Retirement Plan Donors can leave a dollar total or percentage of their IRA or other qualified retirement plan to one or more of the four supporting foundations at East Carolina University. This is a revocable gift that works the same as a bequest provision. It is very simple to do; all that is required is that you list the formal name of the foundation on the Beneficiary Designation Form that is provided to you by your provider. This form will be sent to you upon your request from your retirement plan manager.
Appreciated Securities A gift of long-term appreciated securities is exempt from capital tax gains. Appreciated stock gifts are deductible up to 30 percent of the donor’s adjusted gross income. Real Estate In some cases, property can be given outright, and a charitable income tax deduction equal to the property’s fair market value is received by the donor. Real estate also will be considered for funding life-income arrangements. Bargain Sale Donors can receive cash and a charitable deduction when property is sold to one of the four foundations at East Carolina University but only if the property is sold for a price less than fair market value. The charitable deduction would be the difference between the fair market value of the property less the sale price. Gift of Fractional Interest With a few important exceptions, the tax law requires you to give your entire interest in an asset to charity in order to qualify for an income tax deduction. One of those exceptions is a gift of undivided portion of your entire interest in property. This gift model allows you to own percentage of every right to an asset which generally includes the right to possession, use, income, obligation, and disposition.
Please note: This report is informational and educational in nature. It is not offering professional tax, legal, or accounting advice. For specific advice about the effect of any planning concept on
Due to the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act (PATH) of 2015 the IRA Rollover is now permanent and all donors who are 70 1/2 or older can make transfers from their IRA/Qualified Retirement Plan Administrator directly to one or more of the four ECU supporting foundations. An IRA charitable rollover can satisfy the donor’s required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year and also allow direct transfers from the plan administrator of up to $100,000 per plan annually. Gifts of Life Insurance You can make any of the four foundations the owner or beneficiary of a current or newly established life insurance policy. These are especially great contributions in the instance that the donor realizes they no longer need the policy for protection as they did many years ago when it was established. Charitable Lead Trusts This type of gift can allow the donor to pass on some assets to the family at a reduced or zero cost while reducing or eliminating gift or estate taxes. It also establishes a vehicle from which donors can make annual gifts to charity.
your personal tax or financial situation or with your estate, please consult a qualified professional advisor.
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contact information If you have questions or would like to obtain additional information, please contact us: ECU FOUNDATION INC.
ECU MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES FOUNDATION INC.
Greenville Centre, Suite 1100 Mail Stop 301 East Carolina University Greenville, NC 27858-4353 252-328-9578 WEBSITE: www.ecu.edu/give GIVE ONLINE: www.ecu.edu/give
525 Moye Boulevard Mail Stop 659 East Carolina University Greenville, NC 27834-4354 252-744-2238 WEBSITE: www.ecu.edu/mhsfoundation GIVE ONLINE: www.ecu.edu/give
ECU EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION INC. (PIRATE CLUB)
EAST CAROLINA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INC.
Ward Sports Medicine Building Mail Stop 158 East Carolina University Greenville, NC 27858-4353 252-737-4540 WEBSITE: www.ecupirateclub.com GIVE ONLINE: www.ecupirateclub.com
Taylor-Slaughter Alumni Center 901 East Fifth Street Mail Stop 305 East Carolina University Greenville, NC 27858-4353 252-ECU-GRAD WEBSITE: www.piratealumni.com JOIN ONLINE: www.piratealumni.com
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Division of University Advancement Greenville Centre, Suite 1100 Mail Stop 301 East Carolina University Greenville, NC 27858-4353
C.S. 17-1083