The Elon Alumni Board has endowed a new $50,000 scholarship with the hope of making internships a reality for students with financial limitations.
The Elon Alumni Board has endowed a new $50,000 scholarship with the hope of making internships a reality for students with financial limitations. The board’s generous gift was finalized at their annual spring meeting on Friday, March 24.
Members met with Vice President for University Advancement Jim Piatt and Assistant Vice President for Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement Brian Feeley ’03 to sign the official scholarship agreement. The scholarship will support Elon students with financial need that are pursuing participation in university-approved internship opportunities.
Elon ranks No. 9 in the country for internship programming and No. 1 in undergraduate teaching, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Almost 90% of Elon students participate in an internship, with about half of those internships leading to employment at major companies following graduation. Internship experience is an integral part of the education that students receive, and it is crucial for positive career outcomes. Yet, despite their importance, 43% of internships still go unpaid.
It is the board’s hope that this scholarship will help alleviate the financial burden of participating in an internship for the students that need it most.
“With so many internships going unpaid, or in places where the cost of living is so high, we wanted to give aid to students seeking an internship and ease some of the financial uncertainty,” said Dana Neves ‘95, one of the board members that was integral to making the scholarship a possibility.
“We know the value of a good internship. Many of our board members credit our own success with a positive internship experience at Elon. The EAB wanted to help our students have the best experience they can and make the connections that will help them after graduation and beyond,” Neves added.
The board pledged to create this scholarship in conjunction with Elon Day 2023, committing to endow the scholarship if donors reached the first giving challenge of the day (1,010 gifts by College Coffee).
“By endowing this new Internship Scholarship, the board is supporting a key experience leading to student success,” said Feeley. “The current members of the Elon Alumni Board continue to provide exemplary leadership of our alma mater.”
The Elon Alumni Board plays a vital role at the university by providing advice, counsel and perspective to university staff and leadership on a wide range of strategic issues.
To learn more about the Elon Alumni Board, click here.
Current members of the Elon Alumni Board are as follows:
- Allison Dillard Breeding ’99, President
- Dave Dziok ’05, President-Elect
- Anne Frank Casey ’87 P’21, Past President
- Tyler Brandt ’06
- Carol Brown ’68
- Tanya Brown ’98
- Melinda Dickinson ’91
- Andy Ellen ’92
- Peter Falcone ’04
- LaToya Faustin ’04
- Jack Fordi ’93
- Sherri Ward Janelle ’85
- Lee Leckie ’98
- Zaire Miller McCoy ’02
- Chris Morse ’04
- Dana Neves ’95
- Jenn Nowalk ’99
- Mike Proctor ’98
- Britten Pund ’06
- L.A. Sarmiere ’93
- Steven Walker ’93
- Ashleigh Palmer Weathers ’08