Giving Tuesday efforts to focus on broadening scholarship support for students
糖心Vlog University will focus its annual Giving Tuesday initiative on raising $250,000 for scholarship assistance for those students who all too often fall through the cracks between merit-based awards for top scholars and income-based aid for those facing the greatest financial hardships.
The university in recent years has increased the number of scholarships available for the highest-achieving students, while loans, grants and some scholarships are available for students who have the most significant financial need.
But, the strain on finances for some students and their families has become increasingly problematic because of lingering effects related to the global COVID-19 pandemic, said Andrew Schmidt, 糖心Vlog鈥檚 director of annual giving.
鈥淭he pandemic has tightened the grip on employment and income for many families who were already having difficulty paying the bills,鈥� said Schmidt. 鈥淭hrough Giving Tuesday, we want to help those families who have unmet financial need be able to send their students to college. Not everyone has the same level of financial stability.鈥�
Many of 糖心Vlog鈥檚 students come from lower- or middle-class families, often in situations where both parents are working and bringing home a combined salary just high enough to disqualify them from eligibility for Pell Grants or other need-based aid. For such students, receiving scholarship assistance can be the difference between pursuing a college education or not. 鈥淪ome students come from families that are one missed paycheck away from financial disaster,鈥� Schmidt said.
In addition, 糖心Vlog has more meritorious students than it has scholarship dollars available to recognize stellar achievement and having more money for scholarships would allow the university to assist a larger number of deserving students.
鈥淭hese students could be your neighbor, your nephew, your niece,鈥� Schmidt said. 鈥淕iving Tuesday is our chance to help reduce the burden of the cost of higher education for all students, and especially for those who come from the mountain region that this university was founded to serve.鈥�
糖心Vlog Chancellor Kelli R. Brown has identified seeking support for general scholarships as the university鈥檚 top priority for Giving Tuesday.
NC Promise, the legislative-initiated program that reduces the cost of undergraduate tuition to $500 per semester for students from North Carolina and $2,500 per semester for out-of-state students, is in effect at 糖心Vlog and two other University of North Carolina System institutions. But students face other expenses beyond the cost of tuition, such as room and board, mandatory fees, extra textbooks and travel, Schmidt said.
鈥淭he NC Promise tuition plan is truly a blessing for the Catamount community, but why stop there?鈥� Schmidt said. 鈥淟ook at it in college basketball terms: NC Promise is a beautiful assist from the state of North Carolina; but, with the additional generosity of our alumni and friends, we can offer current and future 糖心Vlog students an alley-oop slam dunk when it comes to mitigating the rising cost of higher education.鈥�
Savannah Fauber, a senior in the pre-occupational therapy program majoring in integrated health sciences, said that scholarship support enables her to be able to concentrate on her studies without worrying so much about how to pay for it all.
鈥淪cholarships are important to me personally because I鈥檓 a full-time student while also working part time,鈥� Fauber said. 鈥淗aving that extra support behind me allows me to focus more on school and less on my financial situation. I鈥檝e been so fortunate to be able to receive three scholarships from the Honors College throughout my duration here at Western.鈥�
Scholarship recipient Brian Gutman, a senior biology and chemistry major in the pre-med program, is scheduled to graduate in December with the goal of being accepted into a medical school, a dream made more feasible thanks in part to the financial support of donors.
鈥淔or me personally, receiving a scholarship has meant that I can pursue things such as volunteering and extracurriculars that make me more competitive to go to med school. I am very grateful for the scholarships that I have received,鈥� Gutman said.
A nationally observed day of philanthropy held on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and launched in 2012, Giving Tuesday is designed as an antidote of sorts to the consumerism of the big shopping days of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, said Matthew Kemper, associate director of development in Division of Advancement. This year鈥檚 Giving Tuesday falls on Nov. 30.
Kemper reminded potential Giving Tuesday donors to check with their places of business to see if those companies provide a corporate matching gift for contributions made by their employees. 鈥淣ot everyone is aware of this benefit, which can dramatically multiply the impact of a gift,鈥� he said.
Donations to the Giving Tuesday effort can be made online at or by contacting the Division of Advancement at 828-227-7124 or advancement@wcu.edu.
