Endowment growth The proliferation of scholarships during the campaign has had a significant impact on recruitment and retention efforts, endowment growth, and more profoundly, the personal journeys of Nichols’ most motivated students. An inspirational (and fruitful) challenge Roughly 80 percent of all endowed scholarships created during the Bicentennial Campaign resulted from the Inspirational Challenge, a program initiated by John Davis ’72 in 2015. For each new scholarship commitment, Davis supplemented $2,000 a year for five years so students could benefit as the scholarship fund generated the interest to award from its own income.
MAJOR: MANAGEMENT
Khrisan Grant ’21 Recipient: Kathleen M. MacPherson Endowed Scholarship in Business Administration Khrisan Grant has taken her college experience by the reins, steering toward a bright future – and not just for her. She plans to start a non-profit organization called The Village that offers life skills mentoring to today’s youth. “There are millions of children who have no proper guidance and support. They don’t have a village to raise them,” she says. Nichols has given Grant the opportunity to write a business plan for her venture and be a member of the Emerging Leaders Program, Institute for Women’s Leadership, Student Alumni Society, and office assistant in Alumni Relations. The scholarship, she says, has given her the means to pursue the dream.
MAJOR: ACCOUNTING
MAJOR: CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Melissa Owusu ’24
Matthew Owen ’21
Recipient: Randy ’83 MBA ’96 and Donna ’83 Becker Endowed Scholarship; Fels Commuter Scholarship
Recipient: Pat and Al Houston Endowed Scholarship; James L. Dunbar Endowed Scholarship for Criminal Justice Management
Melissa Owusu says, “The college’s ability to help students succeed no matter what and to encourage them to excel was one of the main things I loved about Nichols.” As only the second person in her family to attend college, Owusu does not take the experience for granted. The scholarships she receives allow her to “focus more on the most important aspect of school…studying,” as she pursues a possible career in actuarial sciences, and inspire her to say, “I hope one day I will be able to give back to my community and help students like me achieve their goals.”
Matthew Owen lives by the motto, “We don’t deserve anything. Work for it, then no one can say you haven’t earned it.” With a 3.8 GPA, Owen is earning his success at Nichols as a member of the Criminal Justice Club and an inductee in the Zeta Alpha Phi, Phi Alpha Theta (History), and Alpha Phi Sigma (Criminal Justice) honor societies. He appreciates the small class size at Nichols and the professors who have helped him to excel. He says that scholarship support has helped relieve the financial burden on him and his family, and he is honored and proud to have been awarded this charitable gift. MAJOR: MARKETING
Jenna DeLorenzo ’23 Recipient: Gus Alexander and Linda Sargent Endowed Scholarship Simply put, Jenna DeLorenzo is happy to be at Nichols College: “Waking up in the morning and stepping foot on the paved sidewalks which lead to class reminds me of how grateful I am to be here. Our campus is so welcoming. Every time I pass by one of my peers, we smile.” The aspiring entrepreneur hopes to one day own an advertising agency. In the meantime, she is practicing her leadership skills as class president, teaching assistant, student manager of the Fels Student Center, and a member of the Relay for Life Club. To DeLorenzo, the scholarship makes it all possible. 2020 President’s Report
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