East Summer 2022

EAS T Changing the future

THE BRODYS’ LEGACY OF SUPPORT

THE ECU MAGAZINE

Pursue

Gold EAST CAROLINA SETS OUT TO RAISE $500 MILLION

Supporting the College of Education

SUM 2022

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CONTENTS

ECU Dance Team members Abygayle Leggett, left, and Maddie Hassler crank up the ECU spirit at the Pirates Aboard event for newly admitted students March 26.

EAS T IN THIS ISSUE

ECU Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Discovery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Faculty Focus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Student Snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Pirate Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Pirate Spirit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

main feature

Above, Principal Tracy Cole ’02 greets students as they arrive at the Community School in Greenville. Read more about the impact made through support for the ECU College of Education beginning on page 36.

More coverage, including links to videos and more photos, is at east.ecu.edu

24 Pursue Gold

ECU launches its most ambitious campaign in university history.

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Changing the Future The impact of giving is felt across the university and region.

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Primary Care The Brody family has been key to ECU’s medical and research growth.

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10 Reasons Why You Don’t Give to ECU If you think you’re not ready to support ECU financially, this might change your mind.

East Carolina University is a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina System. It is a public doctoral/research-intensive university offering baccalaureate, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees in the liberal arts, sciences and professional fields, including medicine. Dedicated to the achievement of excellence, responsible stewardship of the public trust and academic freedom, ECU values the contributions of a diverse community, supports shared governance and guarantees equality of opportunity. ©2022 by East Carolina University

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The Pirate Spirit is strong at ECU. In March, alumni and friends joined forces to raise a record $8.4 million through Pirate Nation Gives, our annual day of giving. That dwarfed last year’s record $6.5 million.

Every day, I see the results of this generosity in our students, faculty and researchers as well as the facilities that rival those on any campus anywhere.

Just as ECU has met every challenge our state has given us in the past 115 years, Pirates have done and are doing their part to meet our financial goals.

Just turn the page to read about a significant investment the Warren family has made in our EC Scholars program – some of the brightest students at any college anywhere. More examples of investment and outcomes are throughout this issue of East.

This is the East Carolina University edge. We make it possible for students from all walks of life to build successful careers and become confident citizens and strong contributors to our society. We make sure they can earn a living and give back to their communities. We pride ourselves on whom we accept, not on whom we turn away.

We are more than halfway to our goal of $500 million to keep ECU on the leading edge of higher education – to build stronger academics, athletics, discovery, health care services and much more. Our future is bright.

Philip Rogers, Ed.D. Chancellor

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Kayin Fails turns his tassel at the May 6 commencement at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

Fails graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology.

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ECU Report

In This Issue

Michael Schwartz to lead men’s hoops Building businesses

Burney Warren ’70

Eight-figure pledge to support EC Scholars program Burney Warren ’70 grew up in the shadow of East Carolina University’s football stadium. The east end zone was two doors down from his house in Greenville. It was easy to predict he would become passionate about ECU. Warren graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business and went on to become an executive vice president of BB&T, now Truist. He’s a past chairman of the ECU Foundation board and continues to serve on the executive committee during retirement. He and his wife, Judy ’69, still live in Greenville. Their son James graduated from ECU in 1996. Their son Scott attended ECU before graduating from Appalachian State University.

And their granddaughter Tess is an ECU student.

“We have had a very successful and enjoyable life in Greenville and with ECU. And now we are pleased to share that success with ECU and help it grow,” Warren said.

A $1 million planned gift for the Burney and Judy Warren EC Scholars Endowment, in addition to an eight-figure, long-term estate gift, will support the EC Scholars program.

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“We feel like the best way to propel the university is to have very highquality students. They lift everyone else with them. We think that program is particularly important,” Warren said.

EC Scholars is the most prestigious undergraduate award program at ECU. It includes a scholarship valued at nearly $64,000 and high-impact learning experiences for a select group of undergraduates. EC Scholars are part of the Honors College.

“These are students who, in a very positive way, change the reputation of the university,” said Todd Fraley, interim dean of the Honors College.

“They’re winning prestigious awards, they’re getting grants, they’re doing amazing research, they’re going to respected graduate programs. These students touch every single aspect of the university. They come here, they have goals, and they take advantage of everything ECU has to offer.”

In the past, the Warrens have funded the Burney and Judy Warren Scholarship in Special Education, in honor of Judy’s background in the field, and the Burney and Judy Warren Access Scholarship.

“Burney and Judy Warren’s planned gifts are crucial to ECU’s future success,” said ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers. “They are loyal Pirates and truly embrace the spirit of service that is so important to our culture and mission. The EC Scholars program brings exceptional students to this university and prepares them to make a mark on the world, which wouldn’t be possible without the sustained support from generous donors.”

– Erin Ward

ECU graduate programs recognized The Brody School of Medicine at ECU has again ranked as North Carolina’s most diverse medical school in a listing of the 2023 Best Graduate Schools released in March by U.S. News & World Report.

Brody also was 26th out of 124 U.S. schools ranked in primary care.

In addition, ECU’s graduate program in education was 89th out of 274 schools ranked, placing it in the top 35% nationwide. Those rankings are based on peer and educational professional assessment, research activity, student selectivity and faculty resources.

U.S. News has also ranked ECU’s online graduate programs in business, criminal justice, education and nursing among the best in the nation.

Online master’s programs in the College of Nursing were ranked in the top 15%, or 29th out of 194 schools listed in the 2022 U.S. News Best Online Programs.

ECU nursing also was ranked fifth out of 25 U.S. schools offering the best online master’s

programs for veterans. Schools on this list had to be regionally accredited, certified for the GI Bill and enroll a critical mass of students with military backgrounds.

ECU’s online graduate program in criminal justice is the only school in North Carolina on the list, ranking 21st out of 85 and in the top 25% of schools recognized.

Online master’s programs in the College of Education were ranked 60th of 338 schools, in the top 20% on the list. Eight Master of Education online programs were reported in the U.S. News survey including adult education, curriculum and instruction, elementary education, instructional technology, science education, reading and literacy studies, special education and middle grades education.

The online MBA program in the College of Business is in the top 35% of programs recognized, ranking 121st of 356 schools.

More information is at usnews.com.

– Crystal Baity

Rashieda Pugh reacts after learning she will be completing a family medicine residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the Brody School of Medicine’s National Residency Match Day celebration on March 18. Of the 82 students who matched, 61% are going into primary care residencies and 35% matched to programs in North Carolina. Nine will be staying in Greenville to complete residencies at ECU Health Medical Center. Five will go into the military. See full match results at bit.ly/3DBxihs.

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ECU Report

A student veteran couldn’t afford textbooks.

A donor stepped in to help.

Michael Schwartz has been named men’s basketball coach at ECU. Athletics Director Jon Gilbert announced the hire March 16. Schwartz comes to ECU after seven seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Tennessee. He has also coached at the University of Tulsa, Fresno State, the University of Miami (Florida) and the University of Texas at San Antonio.

He served on the staffs at the University of Texas and Long Beach State. A native of Los Angeles, Schwartz is a graduate of the University of Texas, where he was a member of the Longhorns’ basketball team. He and his wife, Stephanie, have two daughters, Sydney and Samantha.

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Marine Corps officer Lara Gorham left the military to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. When she was accepted into the premed program at ECU for fall 2021, it looked like her dream was within reach. Then her veteran benefits ran out.

“I was becoming desperate. I had $11 in my bank account at the beginning of the semester, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to afford gas for the week, let alone my books,” Gorham said. She also had a young daughter at home and a long commute to campus.

But thanks to the Paul Singleton Military Academic Success Fund, Gorham was able to purchase the textbooks and supplies she needed for the semester.

“He made impossible circumstances attainable,” she said. “I cannot thank him enough for his generosity.”

Even with federal funding and scholarships, student veterans can still struggle to pay college tuition and fees. Many student veterans have full-time jobs and families with mortgages, child care and car payments that cut into funds available for college. And if they change their major or take on a minor, their GI benefits could run out before graduation.

Singleton ’58 ’61 said he hopes his gift helps veterans and their families make the best of their studies and adapt more easily to campus life. It’s one of the largest gifts ever for student veterans at ECU. “When I went to school, they didn’t have Pell Grants or government loans,” he said. “Very few people were on scholarships. When I went back to school (after serving in the Air Force), I had a family, and even on the GI Bill, it covered tuition but not all the other expenses. I didn’t want students to put up with what I had to put up with.”

Singleton left the Air Force in 1984 and now lives in a militaryaffiliated retirement community in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

His late wife, Anne, was an ECU alumna, and his two brothers also went to ECU on the GI Bill.

The Paul Singleton Military Academic Success Fund is unique in that it provides support not only for veterans, but also for reservists and dependents of disabled veterans, who do not get some federal funding for textbooks, said Nicole Messina, associate director of student veteran services at ECU. “Very few universities offer extra support to these students, so Mr. Singleton has provided ECU with a great opportunity to help military-affiliated students,” she said.

– Erin Ward

Programs, experts at ECU help new businesses get started and existing businesses get stronger April Kelly has taken some guidance from programs and experts at ECU and turned it into the building blocks of a company she hopes will give parents a vegan alternative to baby formula.

Kelly started with the Small Business and Technology Development Center and from there went to I-Corps@ECU and Accelerate Rural NC to build her business plan for Sure! That helped her garner a $10,000 NC IDEA Micro Grant in October — one of only 22 businesses selected and the only from Greenville.

“I’m currently in the process of manufacturing my first batch of product to launch out in the market,” Kelly said. “I’m 100% positive that the ECU I-Corps program really made the difference (in attaining the grant).

Through our participation we were able to (narrow) down our target audience and clearly distinguish our customer profile through customer discovery.”

Sure! is based in Greenville with production in Raleigh. “It is our goal to plant roots here in Greenville and manufacture our product in-house within the next three to five years,” Kelly said. “Part of our mission is to provide jobs throughout our community.”

Entrepreneurs such as Kelly are why ECU is bullish on programs that help new and growing businesses.

“ECU supports new and small business growth across the state through several programs and resources dedicated to entrepreneurs,” said Rachel Bridgers, a business counselor with the Small Business and Technology Development Center at ECU. “Through this business ecosystem, ECU is well positioned to drive transformation in our rural communities through our services, resources and community partners.”

Cameron Higley, owner of Tailgate Classics, holds a sampling of his merchandise at his store in Greenville.

Accelerate Rural NC focuses on helping small businesses in rural regions gain access to global markets with innovative products. The rural business accelerator hosts 10-week networking and learning sessions for cohorts of 20 business owners. The program has funding through July.

Since it began in September 2020, the program has helped 125 companies from Asheville to the coast. More than 300 have applied to participate.

Cameron Higley ‘20 is one. He started Tailgate Classics in his dorm room and since then has grown the vintage clothing business into a $300,000-a-year operation. He recently opened a storefront at 304 Evans St. in Greenville. Dennis Tracz, director of ARNC at ECU, approached him about participating in the program.

“Accelerate Rural was an awesome connection builder and provided us with lots of valuable insight for my business,” Higley said.

– Doug Boyd

April Kelly is building her vegan baby formula business with help from experts at ECU.

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ECU Report

Angela Lamson, a Nancy W. Darden Distinguished Professor in the ECU Department of Human Development and Family Science, received the 2022 ECU Research and Creative Activity Lifetime Achievement Award. She’s pictured with Chancellor Philip Rogers at the March 16 event that recognized research and creative activity among faculty members across campus. Read more about Lamson at bit.ly/3LzOtm4.

ECU Health brand launches across region As part of the collaborative effort ECU and Vidant Health announced last year, the new ECU Health brand has begun appearing at health care sites in the region.

Chancellor Philip Rogers; Dr. Mike Waldrum, CEO of ECU Health and dean of the Brody School of Medicine; and Dr. Jason Higginson, executive dean of the medical school, unveiled the new ECU Health logo in April.

Vidant Medical Center is now ECU Health Medical Center, and other Vidant facilities will be renamed in a similar manner: ECU Health Bertie Hospital, ECU Health Chowan Hospital, ECU Health Maynard Children’s Hospital and so on. The Outer Banks Hospital will retain its name.

– ECU News Services

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Longtime ECU leaders announce retirements Sylvia Brown ’75 ’78, dean of the College of Nursing; Virginia Hardy, vice chancellor for student affairs; Michael Van Scott, interim vice chancellor for research, economic development and engagement; David White, dean of the Honors College; Paul Gemperline, dean of the graduate school; and Ron Mitchelson, interim vice chancellor for health sciences, are retiring.

Brown joined the nursing faculty in 1976 and served as acting dean from 2006 until 2009, when she was named permanent dean. She helped establish pathways to earning a BSN degree for nontraditional nursing students. She also led the creation of nurse leadership, nurse anesthesia, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, doctor of nursing practice and DNP-to-Ph.D. programs.

Gemperline joined the ECU chemistry department in 1982 and has served as dean of the graduate school since 2008. In 2003 he received the Eastern Analytical Symposium’s Award in Chemometrics, the highest international award in the field.

Hardy joined ECU in 1993. Before becoming vice chancellor in 2010, she served as senior associate dean for academic affairs at the Brody School of Medicine. She also served as interim

Sylvia Brown

Virginia Hardy

David White

Paul Gemperline

Michael Van Scott

Ron Mitchelson

chief diversity officer. Hardy and her staff have gained national attention for their work in developing Cupola Conversations as a method for healthy civil discourse on campus.

Mitchelson came to ECU in 1999 as a professor and chair of the Department of Geography and served as provost from 2015 until being named acting and then interim chancellor in 2019, a role he filled until 2021. He has also served as interim chair of the English department and interim vice chancellor for research and graduate studies.

Van Scott joined ECU in 1990 as a faculty member and researcher at the Brody School of Medicine, focusing on the pathophysiology and treatment of asthma. In 2013, he joined the Division of Research and Graduate Studies, serving twice as the interim chief research officer. During his time at REDE, grants and contracts at ECU grew to more than $75 million annually.

White began his career at ECU in 1981 in the Department of Health Education. He served as interim chair of the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Safety in 1990. From 2008 to 2017, he served as dean of the College of Technology and Computer Science, during which the college added the Department of Engineering. He’s been dean of the Honors College since 2016.

Because of the divisional reorganization that will become effective July 1, ECU will not replace the vice chancellors of health sciences or REDE. – ECU News Services

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ECU Report

ECU celebrates chancellor installation

Philip Rogers was officially installed March 24 as ECU’s 12th chancellor. Members of the university community, higher education leaders from across the state, faculty, staff and students braved the rainy weather to celebrate the academic tradition.

The installation ceremony was part of ECU’s Founders Week and celebrated the university’s past while looking to the future.

“It’s an honor to be here today, because I believe this truly does mark a new era for East Carolina University and a reawakening of this institution’s core mission of service to North Carolina and beyond,” said UNC System President Peter Hans.

Rogers returned to ECU as chancellor in March 2021 after previously serving as the university’s policy analyst in 2007 and then chief of staff from 2008 to 2013. The years in between were spent as the senior vice president of the American Council on Education, a nonprofit organization that acts as a coordinating body for its membership of approximately 1,700 colleges and universities across the nation.

Originally from Greenville, Rogers is the greatgrandson of an early student of the East Carolina Teachers Training School, and his wife, Rebekah Rogers, is a two-time ECU alumna.

“It surprised none of us when Philip was lured away to Washington (D.C.) … sharpening his skills and insights

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so that one day he might render yet greater service to North Carolina. I am thrilled that day has arrived.

We are not just celebrating an installation today, but a homecoming,” Hans said.

Rogers took time to thank those who helped pave the way for him while growing up in Greenville.

From teachers to coaches, family and neighbors, the homecoming for Rogers brought a large audience of family and friends to celebrate this moment with him in ECU’s Wright Auditorium.

“Every day, I am surrounded by reminders that my success in this world, the fact that I’m standing in front of you today, comes from the investment this community made in me,” Rogers said.

Before administering the oath of office, Hans spoke about how vital ECU is to eastern North Carolina and the importance of the work done by students, faculty and staff each day.

“East Carolina is a bright star in the constellation, ‘afire with enthusiasm,’ in the words of your first president, Robert Wright, and our state is a better and richer place because of what happens right here in Greenville,” he said.

Rogers was joined by his wife and sons, Grayson and Dean, for the oath. Rogers placed his hand on the Wright Bible, the same one used by ECU’s first president in weekly chapel meetings during the first years of the school.

Clockwise from facing page, Scott Shook, chair of the ECU board of trustees, puts the Chancellor’s Medallion on Chancellor Philip Rogers; Ella Schaffner, a junior in the ECU School of Theatre and Dance, performs during the installation ceremony; Rogers takes the oath of office using the Wright Bible as sons Grayson and Dean and wife Rebekah look on; Rogers speaks with former Chancellor Steve Ballard, whom he worked with as chief of staff.

Following the oath, Ted Mitchell, president of ACE, introduced Rogers after a video showcasing ECU’s history and optimistic future played for the audience.

“East Carolina is a beacon of hope and promise for all institutions, and Philip Rogers is an example for all the presidents and chancellors of those institutions of what it means to be a leader in these tumultuous times,” said Mitchell.

According to Mitchell, a lack of trust in higher education is the biggest problem facing institutions today. He said it’s the job of those institutions to rebuild that trust.

“Here’s the good news for you. Building trust is Philip Rogers’ superpower. … Building trust for this institution is what you can hope for and expect in Philip,” he said.

In his remarks to guests, Rogers weaved ECU’s history of meeting the needs of eastern North Carolina with its future. He referred to a “reawakening and renewed appreciation for ECU’s core strengths.”

“At every waypoint over the last 115 years, when our state has needed more from us, we found a way to deliver,” he said.

While at ACE, Rogers worked with universities and colleges across the country, giving him a unique perspective on the work and mission of ECU. “I am convinced that the most challenging, most urgent and without a question the most fulfilling work in American education is happening right here at home, right here at East Carolina University. We make it possible for students from all walks of life to build successful careers, become confident citizens and strong contributors to our society,” he said. “We make sure they can earn a living and give back to their

communities. That foundational mission has always been at the core of ECU’s identity, and it’s the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning.”

He said everyone at the university can be proud they work at an institution that meets the needs in their communities and prides itself on who it accepts, not who it turns away.

“At a time when all of higher education is concerned about student success, eager to figure out what it takes to welcome a diverse group of students and build a supportive community, we have decades of hard-earned experience right here in eastern North Carolina,” said Rogers.

In closing, he said ECU is building a national model for student success, regional transformation and public service.

“I think the rest of the country has much to learn from what’s happening at East Carolina,” Rogers said.

– Jamie Smith

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Discovery

Latest Investigations

Grant funds mental health services Researchers catalog WWII shipwrecks

BCBS gives $1.54 million to fund behavioral health program between ECU and ECSU Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina awarded $1.54 million to ECU to provide telepsychiatry services over the next five years for students at Elizabeth City State University. This partnership expands behavioral health care services at ECSU at a time when mental health concerns on college campuses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are surging.

An estimated 1 in 4 Americans ages 18 and older has a mental disorder in any one year. The challenges associated with attending college, such as academic pressure, can trigger symptoms or cause the onset of behavioral health and substance use problems in students. Higher education institutions are uniquely positioned to provide behavioral health support for students alongside physical health, academic, professional and social services.

“Through collaborative efforts with partners like ECU and ECSU, we’re able to expand quality behavioral health care services across the state,” said Dr. Nora Dennis, lead medical director of behavioral health and health equity at Blue Cross NC. The investment from Blue Cross NC bolsters the ECU-led North Carolina Statewide Telepsychiatry Program, which connects patients in hospital emergency departments and community-based settings with expert psychiatric care using telehealth technology. NC-STeP enhances access to behavioral health care, especially in North Carolina’s rural communities, such as Pasquotank County, where ECSU is.

Telepsychiatry helps address the shortage of providers for patients who otherwise may

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Dr. Sy Saeed, director of the ECU Center for Telepsychiatry, speaks over a telemedicine link with Diamond Rawlinson, Ms. Elizabeth City State University, to demonstrate how a typical telepsychiatry visit works between patient and provider.

not have access to services, all while reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and improving after-care and patient outcomes.

“With this investment from Blue Cross NC, ECU will embed a behavioral health provider, linked via telepsychiatry to a clinical psychiatrist, for case consultations and care planning at the Student Health Center at ECSU,” said Dr. Sy Saeed, director of the ECU Center for Telepsychiatry and founding executive director of NC-STeP. “This resource will benefit students by improving access to behavioral health care, reducing the need for trips to the emergency department and inpatient admissions and reducing delays in diagnosis.”

“Students need a place to share things that upset, frighten, confuse or thrill them, and these added telepsychiatry services will help us support more students directly on campus,” said Gary Brown, vice chancellor for student affairs at ECSU, which oversees the Student Health Center. “These funds will allow ECSU to expand our nurse practitioner coverage on campus from 24 to 32 hours, and NC-STeP will augment the traditional models of professional counseling and preventive services we provide to students adjusting to the demands of college life.”

– Spaine Stephens

The E.M. Clark is one of 44 merchant vessels included in the Battle of the Atlantic report. Right, researchers documented each site using a variety of techniques, including manual measurements, photography and videography, and sonar and laser scanning.

Decadelong project documents WWII wrecks off N.C. coast A project involving the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has identified, surveyed and documented the location and condition of more than 50 wrecks associated with Germany’s effort to disrupt Allied supply lines during World War II. ECU faculty, staff, students and alumni have played key roles in the project, which led to the government publication in November of Battle of the Atlantic: A Catalog of Shipwrecks off North Carolina’s Coast from the Second World War. Eight of the 10 authors are connected to ECU. Interest in the project began with German U-boats, said Nathan Richards, director of maritime studies at ECU. Three have been identified off the N.C. coast in the years since WWII, he said.

Around 2008, there was a report someone was seeking to retrieve material from one of the wrecks, which was a problem due to issues of jurisdiction and the possibility of disturbing human remains.

“So in 2008 there was a collaboration to record a baseline,” Richards said. “When we refer to a baseline, we’re going to go out as archaeologists to record a site, and then we can measure changes of the site through time. … And that kind of opened the door to the consideration of this resource and of the untold story of the Battle of the Atlantic off North Carolina.”

From the coast to about halfway to Bermuda, approximately 90 vessels are known to have been lost in the war, said Joe Hoyt ’04 ’08, lead author of the study and national coordinator

of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries’ Maritime Heritage Program. “For this study, we primarily focused on sites that we believed from the historic record would have been on the continental shelf … before it drops off into much, much deeper water.”

Documented in the report are 44 merchant vessels, seven Allied warships and support vessels, and four German military vessels. Some had been located and identified since the war.

One notable discovery was that of the freighter Bluefields.

“In July 1942, the U-576 attacked a convoy of 19 ships off Cape Hatteras and struck three of them,” Hoyt said. “One sunk immediately … but when it did this, the U-boat popped to the surface in the middle of the convoy in broad daylight, and it was attacked and sunk.”

The researchers obtained an American Battlefield Protection Program grant to search for the Bluefields and U-576, and John Bright ’08 ’12 did his master’s thesis on the project. In 2014, the team found the remains of the vessels 240 yards apart in 700 feet of water, 35 miles offshore.

In August 2016, researchers visited the underwater battlefield using two manned submersibles, becoming the first people to lay eyes on the vessels since the day they sank.

– Jules Norwood

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Focus

Kirstin L. Squint

Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences Associate professor of English and Whichard Distinguished Professor

An expert in Native American literature, Kirstin L. Squint is the David Julian and Virginia Suther Whichard Distinguished Professor in the Humanities in English and Gender Studies at East Carolina University.

She came to Greenville in 2019 from High Point University, where she had been an associate professor of English.

Housed within the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, the professorship was established in the mid-1990s by family members of the late David Julian Whichard, a 60-year editor and publisher of Greenville’s The Daily Reflector, and his wife, Virginia Suther Whichard, a former schoolteacher and 1917 graduate of what was then East Carolina Teachers Training School.

Due to the Whichard family’s generosity, Squint, like many distinguished professors before her, has benefited greatly in her research and teaching, and she has made an impact on ECU and the Greenville community.

“I have had the opportunity to invite nationally and internationally known writers and speakers to ECU, including Monique Truong, Annette Clapsaddle, Cathleen Cahill, LeAnne Howe, Red Justice podcast hosts Brittany Hunt and Chelsea Locklear, and U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo,” Squint said. “These speakers have shared their work through readings and lectures, visited classes and engaged with the Greenville community at public events.”

In addition, Squint said the philanthropy of the Whichard family gave her time and resources to finish two scholarly collections and hire an English graduate student research assistant, who helped her transcribe interviews for Conversations with LeAnne Howe and helped with preliminary research on her in-progress monograph, Troubled Waters in Contemporary Southern Narratives.

Squint’s position as distinguished professor ends this summer, but she will remain at ECU. Since last August, Squint has held the position of Native American literature specialist in the Department of English’s multicultural and transnational literature concentration.

“I was very thankful for the opportunity to join the English faculty since I have had such a positive experience at ECU,” she said.

– Lacey L. Gray

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Dr. Todd Watkins, assistant dean for dental education and informatics at the ECU School of Dental Medicine, has been elected to the National Academy of Inventors Senior Members Class of 2022. A long-standing innovator and entrepreneur, Watkins has received four U.S. patents since December 2020. As far back as 1988, Watkins saw the need to make curriculum available in a digital format, leading to his first startup company, Vital Source Technologies. Starting in 2008 at ECU, Watkins developed an outcomes assessment engine called eXtensible Competencies Platform (XComP™). The system gained worldwide attention and recognition from Apple when the ECU School of Dental Medicine was repeatedly selected as an Apple Distinguished School.

Bimbola Akintade has been named dean of the ECU College of Nursing, effective July 1. He comes to ECU from the University of Maryland School of Nursing, where he is an associate professor in the Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health and associate dean of the master’s program. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing and a doctorate in cardiovascular health from the University of Maryland. He also has master’s degrees in health care administration and organizational leadership and an MBA from the University of Maryland University College. Akintade’s research interests include developing academic practice partnerships and the use of high-fidelity simulation in clinical practice.

Dr. Jason Hack, vice chair for research and chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Brody School of Medicine, was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Medical Toxicology Research award by the American College of Medical Toxicology. The award is designated to individuals who demonstrate outstanding contributions to the areas of basic or clinical science research, research contributions that have changed the practice of medical toxicology, and research innovation.

Linda Kean has been appointed dean of the ECU College of Fine Arts and Communication, effective July 1. A professor of communications, Kean has served as interim dean since July 1, 2021.

Kean has served as director of the School of Communication since 2009 and as acting director for two years before that. She led the development of the Master of Arts in communication degree with an emphasis in health communication and has been widely recognized for her teaching, including as recipient of the Office of Global Affairs’ 2019 International Teaching Award.

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STORY BY JULES NORWOOD

Impact of giving felt across university, region From the Pirate statue standing guard at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium to the words of the fight song inscribed above the terrace of the Main Campus Student Center, East Carolina University is a place of pride, and through the years, scores of alumni and other members of Pirate Nation have shown their school spirit by giving back to the university.

Their support makes it possible for ECU to attract top students and provide access to underrepresented students, for faculty to conduct groundbreaking research, and for innovative programs to make a difference in people’s lives throughout the region.

Scholarship and Access

Scholarships allow ECU to attract top undergraduate students from across the state and the country and to provide access to a college education to students from underserved populations. The university’s top undergraduate academic prize, the EC Scholars award, is donor-supported through various endowments and annual gifts. The scholarship is valued at nearly $64,000 and provides high-impact learning experiences, including study abroad, for a select group of undergraduates.

Jude Kinkead, a graduate student in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology east.ecu.edu

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“(My internship) was something that I could afford to do because of the scholarship. ... It introduced me to some of the inequities in education. A lot of the stuff that those kids go through and have gone through, and the school opportunities that they have, are just nowhere near the opportunities that I’ve been given.”

Shaelyn Raleigh, STEM CoRE East intern

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For Shaelyn Raleigh, a senior physiology major with a minor in nutrition, the award allowed her to discover a passion for addressing inequities in education. After exploring possible careers in education and medicine, she landed an internship with STEM CoRE East.

“It was something that I could afford to do because of the scholarship,” she says. She worked as a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) enrichment assistant for an after-school program at South Greenville Recreation Center, managing the STEM program and helping students with homework. “I loved it, and I fell in love with the kids.”

After signing up for an additional stint as an intern, she was hired as a part-time employee.

“It introduced me to some of the inequities in education,” Raleigh says. “A lot of the stuff that those kids go through and have gone through, and the school opportunities that they have, are just nowhere near the opportunities that I’ve been given.”

To further explore work in the area, Raleigh applied for and was accepted into an internship through the Marian Drane Graham Scholars Program. That placed her in the governor’s office, where she spent a summer with the North Carolina Business Committee for Education, learning about key issues facing public higher education.

After graduation, she plans to either accept an offer in Nashville, Tennessee, with Teach for America or pursue a master’s degree in public administration at either Cornell or Texas A&M, both of which have accepted her and offered top merit scholarships.

Other scholarships support students with financial need. The Access Scholarship makes it possible for high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need to attend ECU and helps them graduate with less debt. This fall, there will be more than 100 Access Scholars on campus, supported by a mix of annual donors and endowed funds.

For freshman Noah Presley of Wilmington, the Access Scholarship will enable him to become the first in his immediate family to earn a college degree. His mother, he says, attended ECU but didn’t finish.

“That was a big reason I wanted to come here,” he says.

After attending Southeast Area Technical High School, Presley says, he had earned credits toward an associate degree. The program is designed for students to graduate with a degree from Cape Fear Community College and go into the local workforce. Instead, he decided to transfer the credits to ECU and earn the associate degree on his way to a bachelor’s.

In addition to making college financially feasible, he says, the scholarship provides a social connection with other students. While Presley is part of the College of Business living-learning community, most Access Scholars live together in the same residence hall.

“It gives you a community of people already on campus with a similar background,” he says.

Presley is pursuing a degree in hospitality management and is working in the Office of University Scholarships, assisting with event planning. This summer, he’ll be doing similar work in a role at Duke University.

The Access Scholarship program also reinforces ECU’s motto, Servire. Presley participated in an overnight trip to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. He’s also participated in volunteer work with YouTuber MrBeast’s turkey drive and with ECU’s Purple Pantry.

“I really lucked out (with the Access Scholarship), and I’m really grateful that I did,” Presley says.

Access Scholar Noah Presley, a freshman from Wilmington, is pursuing a degree in hospitality management. “I really lucked out (with the Access Scholarship),” Presley says, “and I’m really grateful that I did.”

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“(The STEPP Program) gave me the opportunity to come in here and get my work done and to have teachers and tutors that I could ask questions to and gave me the resources that I needed to graduate.”

Tyler Clark, STEPP Program participant, pictured with his mother, Ann

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Student Success

The support of ECU donors also helps the university create and sustain programs that ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed. The STEPP Program (Supporting Transition and Education through Planning and Partnerships), now celebrating its 15th year, is designed to provide students with learning disabilities with access to resources and support throughout their college careers.

The program was created with the financial help of Walter ’51 ’55 and Marie Williams ’53, whose grandson Tyler Clark ’12 was one of its first participants.

“It gave me the opportunity to come in here and get my work done and to have teachers and tutors that I could ask questions to and gave me the resources that I needed to graduate,” Tyler says.

His mother, Ann Clark, said her father, Walter Williams, shared a vision with then-dean of the College of Education Marilyn Sheerer that ECU could create a model program to support students with learning differences.

“He wanted to give to the university that had given him so much.

He was a graduate of East Carolina, undergrad and graduate, and my mom as well,” Ann says.

Tyler, now a successful member of the family business and a father of three, says he would not have been able to complete a college degree without the STEPP Program. “I have a hard time just keeping focused, and I get really easily distracted,” he says. Trying to focus long enough to learn was frustrating, he says, but the program and its tutors provided strategies and helped him see that he really could do the work.

Ann says seeing the students who have been helped over the last 15 years has been incredibly rewarding for the family. “When I look at the STEPP Program and what it’s done, personally, I can speak from the heart and know that the STEPP Program makes a difference,” she says.

Meaningful Research

The Wooten Family Initiative for Brain Health Research in the Brody School of Medicine is a prime example of the impact of philanthropy on researchers’ ability to tackle the most pressing scientific challenges.

The lab was established in 2008 by Dr. Harriet Wooten in memory of her husband, Dr. John L. Wooten, an orthopedic surgeon who died of Alzheimer’s disease in 2004. While previous projects focused narrowly on Alzheimer’s, current and future grants will focus on brain health more broadly.

A $20,000 grant from the Wooten Initiative allowed John Cavanagh, professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Tonya Zeczycki, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, to join forces and work together on a project aimed at curing Parkinson’s disease.

The research focuses on changes in the human gut that could be early indicators of potential problems, possibly decades before a patient starts experiencing visible symptoms of Parkinson’s, like hand tremors and loss of balance.

“Once you’ve got it in the head, then it’s actually maybe too late to do anything about it,” Cavanagh says.

“So (graduate student) Jude (Kinkead) has been looking at things in the gut that can start things in progress many years before.”

“It’s meant a tremendous amount to be able to come in and work on something that I feel a personal connection to and be able to experience all of the amazing things that science can do. And especially with the Wooten lab, or grant, that really has powered the project that I initially started on.”

Jude Kinkead, graduate student

For Kinkead, the research funding has provided an opportunity to learn new research techniques and to contribute to research on a disease that has affected his family.

“It’s meant a tremendous amount to be able to come in and work on something that I feel a personal connection to and be able to experience all of the amazing things that science can do,” he says. “And especially with the Wooten lab, or grant, that really has powered the project that I initially started on.”

In general, Cavanagh and Zeczycki work on different aspects of the research. She studies proteins in the gut that interact with proteins in the brain and may set off the disease, while he studies how to shut off the bacteria that produce those proteins in the first place.

“We work on similar kinds of things, but different enough that we don’t always get the opportunity to interact,” Cavanagh says. “The grant has allowed us to combine our expertise to be bigger than the sum of our parts.”

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ECU LAUNCHES MOST AMBITIOUS CAMPAIGN IN UNIVERSITY HISTORY

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STORY BY CAROLINE BARNHILL

On March 25, nearly 400 members of Pirate Nation erupted into cheers when Chancellor Philip Rogers announced East Carolina University was kicking off its most ambitious fundraising campaign to date, Pursue Gold – a $500 million campaign that will position the university as a leader in higher education for years to come. The campaign’s four pillars guide our efforts, focus our vision and ensure we continue our mission of service.

Here’s where we’ll find our gold:

CREATING GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES

CHAMPIONING RESEARCH

SUSTAINING OUR VALUE

BUILDING OUR FUTURE

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CREATING GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES What we’ll do: Invest in merit, need-based and athletic scholarships to support students from all walks of life – ensuring all students can further their education and better their future through ECU. Why we’ll do it: ECU is committed to providing students with the financial resources necessary to power their education – and with 78% of students receiving financial aid, every dollar counts. From tuition assistance and housing support to books and supplies, scholarship contributions provide educational opportunities for our students who need it most. This pillar presents opportunities for diverse students from all backgrounds to attend ECU – enriching the university and building a talented and inclusive community for years to come.

PRIORITIES IN ACTION • Giving honor to honors. As ECU’s most prestigious undergraduate award program, the EC Scholars program offers significant scholarships and high-impact learning experiences for a select group of students. Recognizing outstanding academic performance, commitment to community engagement and strong leadership skills, EC Scholars are pursuing excellence, inspiring communities and growing as engaged citizens every day.

• Providing access for all. ECU’s Access Scholarship program provides grant funding to students who demonstrate outstanding academic potential but do not have the financial means to attend the university. As our lead need-based scholarship, the $5,000 renewable annual award assists with tuition and fees – supporting our students who need it most.

• Paving pathways. From business and theatre arts to chemistry and speech pathology, ECU is committed to making education accessible for students who have identified their future career path. Scholarships vary by college or department and regularly include opportunities for mentorship, experiential learning and research.

• Boosting student-athletes. An investment in ECU student-athletes makes a golden impact on and off the field. And thanks to the generosity of loyal donors and fans, our more than 400 Pirate student-athletes have access to annual scholarship opportunities – allowing them to reach their fullest potential through intercollegiate athletics.

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What we’ll do: Support discoveries and accelerate interdisciplinary research for ECU students and faculty so they can continue to improve lives, discover cures and create progress that is vital in our state and beyond.

CHAMPIONING RESEARCH

Why we’ll do it: As a leader in research and innovation, ECU is shaping future generations of thinkers, leaders and creators. Investing in research helps us attract the strongest faculty in the nation, grow our number of publications and grants funded, and advance seminars and student-led projects. This pillar takes our research expenditures further than ever before while continuing to reinforce ECU’s reputation as a world-class university.

PRIORITIES IN ACTION • Innovating and creating. At ECU’s Office of Innovation and New Ventures, students collaborate to tackle eastern North Carolina’s greatest economic challenges. Under the mentorship of faculty, small business administrators and local entrepreneurs, students work together to create micro-businesses that target community needs while improving the local economy.

• Advancing research, changing lives. Since 2005, the Brody Brothers Foundation Endowment Fund has supported faculty research focused on cancer, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and other health problems prevalent in eastern North Carolina.

Through generous funding, Brody School of Medicine faculty are given exceptional opportunities to continue current projects, make new discoveries and advance their research through high-level national grants – ultimately improving lives across the state and beyond.

• Bringing research to the classroom. At ECU, we believe research is critical to student learning and engagement. Through our Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences, research is incorporated into the curriculum, allowing students to experience project-based learning in the classroom. And because many CUREs are part of grant projects supporting team science, participants can work together to solve our region’s biggest STEM challenges.

• Helping people. Thanks to a grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, a team of faculty from ECU’s College of Allied Health Sciences is working to develop data that measures the effects of substance abuse interventions in Beaufort County. By gathering data and establishing a baseline to measure success, researchers hope to improve mental health, thwart substance abuse in adults and significantly delay initial alcohol and illegal drug use in adolescents, countywide. east.ecu.edu

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SUSTAINING OUR VALUE

What we’ll do: Strengthen ECU’s endowment, which reinforces all facets of our mission statement and supports academic resources, scholarships and leadership programming so we can continue to transform lives that transform the world.

Why we’ll do it: A strong endowment means a strong university. And as all Pirates know, an investment in ECU is rare gold. The growth of our endowment allows us to create scholarships and fellowships for students, sponsor faculty research and bring thought leadership and new programming to our campus. And that’s just the beginning. This pillar sustains our vision that brings value to the world and directly improves quality of life in our region, in perpetuity.

PRIORITIES IN ACTION

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• Transforming eastern North Carolina.

As a global model for rural transformation, ECU is committed to leading scientific innovation that will boost economic growth.

From our cutting-edge RISE29 student entrepreneurship program to our exceptional academic programs in education, engineering and medicine, our university plays a pivotal role in rural prosperity in eastern North Carolina.

• Bringing top minds to our front door. Through ECU’s Voyages of Discovery series, we learn from the best in the world. From humanitarians and authors to activists and astronauts, the region’s premier intellectual event welcomes experts from every field to share their perspective with students, faculty and citizens of eastern North Carolina. Endowing this series will allow us to continue to bring the brightest and most thought-provoking leaders to our campus – and our community.

• Leaving a lasting legacy. Tomorrow’s leaders start their journey at ECU, and it is generous support that paves their path to success. Planned giving plays an important role in shaping the lives of future Pirates – ensuring exceptional opportunities for generations to come. Through bequests, charitable gift annuities and beneficiary designation gifts, planned contributions invest in our students’ futures and establish donor legacy in the programs and initiatives they create.

• Honoring excellence. In honor of Dr. Jasper L. Lewis Jr., a Greenville pediatric dentist and visionary supporter of the School of Dental Medicine, donors were able to create the school’s first distinguished professorship.

As one of the largest endowments of its kind on the ECU Health Sciences Campus, the Jasper L. Lewis, Jr. Distinguished Professorship positions the dental school to place a more specialized emphasis on evolving topics, treatments and research in pediatric dentistry and add innovative educational experiences to classrooms and clinics.

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What we’ll do: Transform facilities and campus spaces that support research, medical innovation and athletics so we can continue to build a community that builds the future.

BUILDING OUR FUTURE

Why we’ll do it: Since 1907, ECU has been a driving force of transformation. Through our globally competitive academic programs, we educate and lift up the everyday heroes – teachers, entrepreneurs and health professionals – who serve rural communities around the state. But in order to chart a new course, we must create campus spaces, academic and athletic facilities that inspire creativity, foster learning and encourage collaboration for students, faculty and alumni. This pillar supports our mission of building a campus that matches our passion for transformation, innovation and academic excellence.

PRIORITIES IN ACTION • Creating concepts. As a space for idea generation and multidisciplinary collaboration, the Isley Innovation Hub at ECU will allow students, faculty and staff to work together and innovate. Made possible by a generous gift from Van and Jennifer Isley, it will house state-of-the-art equipment and technology where entrepreneurially minded people from all disciplines can bring ideas to life.

• Building up the BioPharma Crescent. As ECU’s latest hub for research and academics, the new state-of-the-art Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building represents the future. The $90 million structure, funded through the Connect NC Bond, gives students and graduates limitless opportunities to impact lives, drive innovation and boost entrepreneurial impact. The building will also be the home of the new Eastern Region Pharma Center, which will expand ECU’s trailblazing pharmaceutical manufacturing workforce training program through a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

• Leveling the Playing Field: Leading student-athletes to a victory is our goal, and giving our teams a better home is an effort close to our hearts. Pirates Unite: The Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence is a commitment to improving the university’s athletic facilities where Pirate athletes can train, practice and gather for years to come. Capital projects include building a multipurpose indoor practice facility, renovating Minges Coliseum and expanding the women’s swimming and diving locker room.

• Achieving better health. ECU’s new medical education building, generously funded by the state of North Carolina, will be a landmark for rural health care and medical education in our region.

The building’s classrooms, labs and clinical space, coupled with ECU’s revolutionary technology, scholarship offerings and program development, will give Brody School of Medicine faculty the essential resources and support to train the next generation of North Carolina physicians.

While it is the largest fundraising campaign to date, Pursue Gold is about so much more than celebrating the value of ECU. Through this campaign, we will advance academics, fund groundbreaking research and discover solutions to the most urgent challenges in communities near and far. We will prepare future generations for meaningful careers and lives dedicated to service. It’s about pursuing gold — our gold, the kind of fortune that we, the Pirates of ECU, find in our mission to educate, innovate, heal and inspire. east.ecu.edu

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STORY BY DOUG BOYD

PRIMARY

CARE THE BRODY FAMILY HAS BEEN KEY TO ECU’S GROWTH IN MEDICINE AND MEDICAL RESEARCH

Dr. Helina Gan ’22 starts her residency in family medicine this July. She’s one of the latest Brody Scholars to bring that program’s – and the Brody School of Medicine’s – commitment to primary care to patients.

“It was the honor of my lifetime,” she says of receiving the four-year medical scholarship that freed her from worries about having to borrow and pay back loans. “It guided me straight to family medicine.”

At left, David and Hyman Brody continue their family’s legacy of support for ECU. Above, Helina Gan is a Brody Scholar from the Class of ’22. Learn more about Gan and her Brody Scholar classmates at bit.ly/3NHXcDU. east.ecu.edu

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“The Brody family is proud to play a small role and continue to strongly believe in the mission of the medical school and communities it serves.”

Hyman Brody

For nearly 60 years, the Brody family has supported ECU, particularly its medical education and research programs.

During that time, the family – with a history of successful businesses and investments – has been an inspiring force that goes far beyond the $25 million it’s given the university. All despite the fact its patriarchs, brothers Morris, J.S. “Sammy” and Leo Brody, never attended ECU. In the 1960s, the brothers gave $200,000 to help Chancellor Leo Jenkins barnstorm the state to build a medical school.

In 1973, they gave $1.5 million toward the construction of what would become the Brody Medical Sciences Building.

In 1983, an $8.6 million endowment established the Brody Scholars program.

In 1999, another $8 million funded medical research and more merit scholarships and led to the school being named for the family. Part of that was $1 million from Morris and Lorraine Brody.

At the time, standing with his cousin, Hyman J. Brody II, David S. Brody noted: “It’s important for us to support our own institutions. We both remember the days when people had to drive to Raleigh or Durham with severe illnesses. Our

Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. cuts the ribbon on the Brody Medical Sciences Building in 1981. From left, Chancellor John Howell, Sammy and Leo Brody, Hunt, Chancellor Emeritus Leo Jenkins and Dr. William Laupus, vice chancellor of health sciences and dean of the medical school.

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Dr, Cynthia Christiano ’97 points out residents, fellows and faculty in a photo taken when she began her residency at ECU.

family foundation has many opportunities to give to various causes. However, we believe the mission of the School of Medicine matches what we wanted to accomplish: that being to improve the health status of the people of eastern North Carolina.”

And statistically speaking, the region’s health status has improved.

From 1990 to 2017, mortality rates for heart disease fell by 8%, according to a report last year by the ECU Center for Health Systems Research and Development; the age-adjusted rate fell 26%. Deaths from lung and related cancers fell 8%. And the racial disparities in overall death rates fell 57%.

In 1990, life expectancy in eastern North Carolina ranged from about 70 to 76. By 2017, it had climbed to 73 and to as much as 82 in some counties, according to the N.C. State Center for Health Statistics.

Hyman Brody, son of Morris and Lorraine Brody, recently noted the work so many others have done, in addition to his family, to make ECU’s health sciences programs “one of the crown jewels of the East.”

“The Brody family is proud to play a small role and continue to strongly believe in the mission of the medical school and communities it serves,” he said.

“(Knowing the Brody family) had enough confidence in me to invest in my future, that really made an impact. It motivated me and made me think about what it means to give back. It showed me what can happen when people invest in others.”

Dr. Cynthia Christiano ’97 Chief of nephrology at Brody School of Medicine and Brody Scholar

Brody Scholars make an impact

Dr. Cynthia Christiano ’97 is chief of nephrology at the Brody School of Medicine and was a Brody Scholar. She said knowing the Brody family “had enough confidence in me to invest in my future, that really made an impact. It motivated me and made me think about what it means to give back. It showed me what can happen when people invest in others.”

She spends her days at the ECU nephrology and hypertension clinic on Arlington Boulevard, where she sees some patients multiple times a week for dialysis. She gets to know them well – and some she’s known for decades.

She grew up in nearby Washington and recalled an old friend ringing her up one day.

“She said, ‘Cindy, will you please see my mom?’ That people who know you have enough faith in you to entrust you with their health care … it’s a blessing of the Lord to be able to serve. It really is a privilege to be able to help people and get to know them and their families.”

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“(My) background certainly shaped what I wanted to do.

Brody helped me figure out how and gave me the training to learn how to do it in an effective way.”

Dr. Rasheeda Monroe ’00 ’05 Brody Scholar

Dr. Rasheeda Monroe ’00 ’05 helped start Sister Circle to get Black and Hispanic people vaccinated against COVID-19.

And it started with a scholarship. The first Brody Scholar, the late George Crawley III of Wilson, received $7,500 a year. Today the total scholarship is valued at approximately $118,000 and covers four years of tuition, living expenses and a summer program that can include travel abroad. It also supports service projects.

“Students who might not come to a brand-new medical school, if they had a scholarship, they might want to attend,” says David Brody, recalling the thinking of his uncles when they started the scholarship program. “Over time, it evolved to attract bright students that … we felt highly confident would practice primary care medicine in North Carolina. By that measure, it’s been a big success. It does my heart good to look around and see scholars who are practicing in New Bern, Mount Olive, Goldsboro, Kinston — all over the place.

“It’s fulfilled the mission we started out with.”

Says Dr. Herb Garrison, a professor of emergency medicine at ECU and interim president of the ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation, “It’s one of the best scholarships for a medical student in the state if not the country.”

Urban areas benefit, too

The granddaughter of an Alabama sharecropper, Brody Scholar Dr. Rasheeda Monroe ’00 ’05 says her memories and experiences growing up made her want to serve the underserved. “That background certainly shaped what I wanted to do,” she says. “Brody helped me figure out how and gave me the training to learn how to do it in an effective way.”

As a pediatrician in Raleigh, she lives and works in an area flush with MDs. Nevertheless, disparities and needs abound.

“We’re sitting here in a ZIP code (27610, which has a minority population of about 80%) that has been really impacted by the COVID pandemic, 65% Black, that was seeing rates of hospitalizations and death

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that was three times that of the rest of North Carolina,” Monroe says. As a result, she and other Black women physicians formed Sister Circle to get Black and Hispanic people immunized. (Learn more about Sister Circle at bit.ly/3LYEOGE.) “The parallels – a more urban underserved setting with a rural underserved setting – really it looks a little different, but the needs are really the same.”

Of the more than 130 Brody Scholar alumni, most practice primary care in North Carolina. Others, such as Dr. Marlana Bollinger ’15, have taken the Brody message to other parts of the country.

She’s a family doctor at Wellspring Family Medicine in Oakland, Maryland, population 1,925. She also delivers babies and serves as the practice’s chief medical officer. She was a Park Scholar at N.C. State then worked for a year in the Teach for America program near Roanoke Rapids before applying to medical school at ECU. She didn’t know about the Brody Scholars program and worried about how to pay for medical school, including by joining the military.

“It was an answer to prayers, really,” she says of the program, which paid other benefits. “Being exposed to the community the way that we were

SUPPORTING RESEARCH David Brody recalls a conversation he had with then-Dean James Hallock in the 1990s about ways to boost research at the medical school. “And he said seed money for research,” Brody says. “We have none. I have a little bit in my dean’s discretionary fund, but basically that’s it.”

So the family established the Brody Brothers Foundation in 1999 with $7 million to fund research projects at the school. Since awarding its first grants in 2005, the foundation has provided more than $1.1 million to support work related to diseases that most impact the lives of North Carolinians.

“One of the first grants was to Dr. Walter Pories,” Brody says. Pories told him he needed $75,000 worth of equipment to start what has become the ECU Diabetes and Obesity Institute. “From that first grant I don’t know how many millions of dollars he generated off that equipment. But you now have the fourth floor of the heart institute being the (Diabetes and Obesity) institute. I think the return on investment has been really high.”

Russ Price, associate dean for research and graduate studies, says: “As a result of data generated by studies funded by the Brody Brothers Endowment, our faculty are more competitive for federal and major national foundations. These seed funds directly contribute to the growth of research in our medical school at a time when the national research environment is incredibly challenging.”

From left, medical graduates Cierra Piggott, Marlana Bollinger, Kenya Caldwell and Akilah Grimes pose for a photo during ECU’s 2015 commencement ceremony at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

“(The Brody Scholars program) helped shape my decision to move into family medicine and to live and work in rural America, meeting the needs of my community.”

Dr. Marlana Bollinger ’15 Brody Scholar as scholars gave me a sense of responsibility but also a sense of understanding of needs,” she says. “It helped shape my decision to move into family medicine and to live and work in rural America, meeting the needs of my community.”

She hopes to return to North Carolina one day. “I say I’m from Louisiana, but North Carolina’s home because I really grew up there,” she says. “My development as an adult happened in North Carolina.”

Likewise, Gan, the new graduate, is headed to the Swedish First Hill organization in Seattle for residency. But the Clemmons native says she’s coming back.

“It will be a great learning experience to go out far and bring it back to North Carolina,” she says.

When she does, she’ll be one of the more than 1,200 ECU medical graduates practicing in 84 of the state’s 100 counties.

David Brody says he’s happy his family has been able to help.

His father, Reuben, died when David was young; Uncle Sammy became a mentor, sharing his giving spirit.

“When you need to move a heavy load, you get a lot of people to attach themselves to that wagon,” says Brody. “We’re glad to be a part of that team.”

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STORY BY KEN BUDAY

Shooting

for the Stars

Supporting the College of Education means supporting the future

Principal Tracy Cole greets students at the ECU Community School on Howell Street.

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Sophie Villani, left, and other EC Scholars donate books to teachers for their students at the Community School in Greenville. The scholars raised money to buy books for the school.

Artwork colors the walls inside East Carolina University’s Community School, where 105 children learn to read, write, add and subtract. The elementary students write reports about their heroes, highlighting everyone from LeBron James to local firefighters.

Principal Tracy Cole ’02 knows all about heroes, especially the unsung people who provide donations to support the school’s children, many of whom face the struggles of food insecurity, housing, poverty or violence on a daily basis.

“We have some wonderful partners here at the Community School,” Cole says. “All of the work that we do really is built upon the partnerships that we have, and our goal is to be able to support not only children but to support their families.”

ECU was created more than a century ago to train teachers to support education in eastern North Carolina. Thanks to philanthropic support of College of Education programs such as the Community School, that mission is as strong as ever today.

“We have a way of turning a dollar into five, really maximizing our donors’ generosity,” says Art Rouse, acting dean of the college. “We are so appreciative, and those dollars are just so, so valuable because they allow us to provide the additional resources that we can use to impact our region and to impact students in our entire service area.”

Community School

Cole walks the halls of the Community School, admiring student work that hangs on the walls. There’s so much good work that “we change them out a lot,” she says.

The school in south Greenville opened in 2017, thanks to legislators who approved a “lab school” that not only educates academically atrisk students, but also helps train future teachers.

With climbing test scores and declining behavioral issues, the school sees success, thanks to faculty, staff and donors who give time, effort and dollars.

Beast Philanthropy — a nonprofit created by Greenville YouTube star MrBeast — provides food for students as well as families in the surrounding neighborhoods.

The school received $250,000 in books and literacy materials, allowing bookshelves to be filled.

An ECU Department of Nutrition Science fundraiser netted $4,500, and the ECU Honors College raised $4,200 in a Books that Embrace Race event. Students from the College of Education Living Learning Community spent a Saturday picking up trash and cleaning desks

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“I think the pandemic has really put a lot of pressure on our students, our finances and our resources, and our donors responded tremendously. That’s a direct reflection on our donors and their generosity and their commitment to our students and to our region, and their trust in the College of Education and impact that they see. ... It’s very humbling for me to know that people give of their money and time to us. It’s something I do not take lightly.”

Art Rouse Acting dean, College of Education

Art Rouse, acting dean of the College of Education, believes donations play an important role in helping not only ECU students but also K-12 students throughout the region.

and chairs. ECU School of Dental Medicine students gave teeth-brushing kits.

“Philanthropy plays a tremendous role in the support that we are able to provide children,” Cole says. “We are very thankful.”

Maynard Scholars

Abby Norris knew she wanted to be a teacher when she was in high school, but paying for college would not be easy.

“My parents helped me every bit of the way, but going to college was something I was going to have to do myself,” she says.

A $20,000 scholarship through the James and Connie Maynard Scholars Program helped her fulfill her dreams. She’s now a special education instructor in Beaufort County after graduating from ECU in May. “I love being able to help students,” Norris says.

Norris thanked James Maynard and daughter Easter during a ceremony for the scholars in 2018.

“They are the most down-to-earth people ever. They are so friendly,” she says. “They picked me, a random person they’ve never met, to support through their scholarship, and to actually get to meet that person and express how thankful I am for their support was so encouraging and a great experience.”

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The Maynards established the scholars program in 2006. It supports future teachers, who then commit to teaching in one of 50 counties in central or eastern North Carolina for at least four years.

“The Maynards have been so generous in their giving of time and resources to our students for so many years,” Rouse says. “It’s just so impactful. It’s been 15 years, and it’s about 10 students a year. And think about all the K-12 students those teachers have impacted. The Maynards’ impact has been felt and will continue to be felt for many, many, many years.”

Kayla Walton ’14 teaches first graders at Beaufort Elementary School in Carteret County. She says being a Maynard Scholar had many benefits.

“From volunteering and community service to educational trips, the Maynard scholarship provided me much more than financial aid,” she says. “I was given the chance to give back to our communities, experience inner-city schools and make lifelong friendships I likely would not have made otherwise.” “(The Maynards) picked me, a random person they’ve never met, to support through their scholarship, and to actually get to meet that person and express how thankful I am for their support was so encouraging and a great experience.”

Abby Norris James and Connie Maynard Scholar

“The Maynard scholarship provided me much more than financial aid. I was given the chance to give back to our communities, experience innercity schools and make lifelong friendships I likely would not have made otherwise.”

Kayla Walton ’14 James and Connie Maynard Scholar

She believes she pays that Maynard scholarship forward every day she’s in the classroom preparing students for the future.

“Teaching first grade is such a foundational year,” Walton says.

“They come in like kindergarteners and leave like second graders. It’s so rewarding.”

Rural Education Institute

ECU’s Rural Education Institute provides resources and support to improve education for students in rural areas, and thus, improve the communities where those students live. It’s of particular importance to Jesse R. Peel, who grew up in rural Martin County.

He provided an initial gift of $25,000 in 2020 to create the REI Diversity and Inclusion Support Project that provides professional development to educators on topics such as equity, social justice, diversity and inclusion.

“Jesse is very committed to helping serve rural communities and providing resources to rural North Carolina,” Rouse says. “… These communities have a lot of assets, and providing those philanthropic dollars helps us to continue partnerships in those communities and leverage our assets with the communities’ assets to really impact those regions, the quality of life and the quality of education that students receive in those communities.”

Peel is a supporter of numerous scholarships and is the namesake of the Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center at ECU. Partnership Teach

Seeing a need to increase the number of quality teachers in local communities, ECU began the Partnership Teach degree completion program in 2003. Students take courses at partnering community colleges before transferring to ECU to complete their teaching degrees online.

Wells Fargo, formerly known as Wachovia, provided initial seed funding of $1.25 million to start what was then called Wachovia

Partnership East. In 2013, the State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation agreed to fund scholarships for the program with a $1.36 million investment. An anonymous trust of $225,000 in 2019 and a $500,000 commitment from Blue Cross Blue Shield in 2020 have followed.

That so many dollars from so many donors have supported the program speaks to its importance, Rouse says.

“When you think about the nearly 20 years since this partnership began with Wachovia and all the changes in leadership in all these organizations that have occurred, Partnership Teach is still here,” he says. “And for Blue Cross Blue Shield to come in and give half a million dollars to support it, I think that shows how important it is. I think that speaks volumes about the whole region’s commitment to education.”

Scholarships

As impressive as large donations are, Rouse sees the importance of even a $25 contribution to a scholarship fund.

For the 2022-23 academic year, the College of Education will award more than $700,000 in scholarships, an increase of more than $70,000 from the previous year.

“I think the pandemic has really put a lot of pressure on our students, our finances and our resources, and our donors responded tremendously,” Rouse says.

He says he doesn’t take any support the College of Education receives for granted.

“That’s a direct reflection on our donors and their generosity and their commitment to our students and to our region, and their trust in the College of Education and impact that they see,” Rouse says. “People get to choose where they want to have an impact, and for them to choose the College of Education, it’s very humbling for me to know that people give of their money and time to us. It’s something I do not take lightly.”

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By Erin Ward

When it comes to giving back to your alma mater, there are many reasons it may not seem feasible. Not the right time, not the right amount of savings, not the right cause you’re passionate about. But giving back doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated.

Here’s why you might want to rethink some of those giving options.

“ECU doesn’t need my money.”

State funding is the largest source of the university’s operating budget, but it doesn’t cover everything, nor should it. Universities have to do more to ensure students succeed. So even though ECU is publicly funded, it still depends on donations for things like programmatic enhancements, capital improvements and scholarships.

“Philanthropy is for the wealthy. ” You might think charitable giving requires having a significant amount of money.

However, deep pockets are far from the be-all and end-all when it comes to philanthropy. By being very intentional with your giving, your money can be used thoughtfully and effectively.

Mike Armstrong ’78 ’79 says he’s not particularly wealthy, but with a little planning he’s able to support a student scholarship in the College of Business. He gives to ECU annually, and his employer matches his contributions 100 percent.

“I am grateful to be able to give what I have given, and I have found that an ECU education is without question the best investment ever,” he says.

“Money just goes to administrative bloat.”

“My gift wouldn’t be big enough to have an impact.”

It sounds cliché, but every dollar donated really does count. You don’t have to give millions for your gift to make a big difference.

While a gift of $50 may seem small, 10,000 alumni giving $50 has a combined impact of $500,000. That could, for example, fund a $5,000 scholarship for 100 students and make their college dreams that much more accessible.

ECU is a big institution, but you never have to worry about your generosity getting lost in the void. Your gift can go to whatever college, school or fund you want. Are you passionate about Pirate athletics? Do you fondly remember your time as an English or engineering major? Did you have an amazing studyabroad experience while you were a student? You can route your support to any of these areas (and many more), so you know exactly where your money is going and whom it is helping

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“Philanthropy is for older people.”

It’s entirely possible to give while you’re young and earning less. This establishes a powerful habit of giving and puts you in a position to give more as your income increases. That’s what Kinna Clark ’10 did when she set up a scholarship through a percentage of her insurance policy “I’m a big proponent of starting early,” she says. “Especially for young alums, they may not have amassed wealth soon after graduating, so it’s a great way to begin. When you’re younger, insurance policies are cheaper for you. You don’t have to have a lot of cash on hand to do something, and you can continue to build on it.”

“I already paid tuition. And I’m still paying off student loan debt.”

Think of your diploma like owning stock. Donating money to make your alma mater better is directly tied to increasing that stock’s value.

And when it comes to college rankings, an important metric is the percentage of alumni who give. Every gift helps raise ECU’s reputation — and your diploma’s worth. If that’s not incentive enough, consider the tax benefits of charitable giving. You can provide for yourself and your family while still supporting ECU.

“My money could be better used by a different organization.”

It’s true, there are tons of highly deserving charitable organizations out there. When you think about giving, consider your “why.” For many alumni, their “why” is benefiting from the generosity of others as ECU students.

They wouldn’t have been able to get through college or have the experiences they had and the careers they have now without support from donors. More likely than not, you benefited from past ECU donors, too.

“I’d rather give back in a different way (not money).”

Showing ECU pride by donating money is only one way of participating. Your time and energy can be just as valuable. You could volunteer to do mock interviews with job-seeking students.

You could speak to a class about your industry know-how. You could share good news and stories about the university on social media. Think about the skills you have and how you can maximize your contributions.

ECU parent Leah Almachar Gottlieb volunteers with the Office of Parent and Family Programs, Pirate Aboard Days, orientations and diversity panels. Her son, Phillip, is a senior studying construction management.

Gottlieb’s gift of time is an essential part of the support network for ECU students and a reason her family was named ECU’s 2021-2022 Family of the Year.

“We invest our time and heart in ECU because it’s worth it — not just because of what ECU has given Phillip, but because it helps other students as well,” Gottlieb said.

“No one has ever asked me for my support.”

University Advancement communicates throughout the year with all ECU alumni to encourage financial support of our colleges and schools, departments, programs, scholarships and more. Be sure we have your updated email address on file at piratealumni.com/update.

Pirate Nation Gives, ECU’s annual day of giving, is also a perfect opportunity to give and is announced over social media channels in March. This 24-hour fundraiser features matches and challenges to unlock champion gifts, and you could win bonus money for your favorite area of the university.

“I don’t know where to start.”

ECU has a whole department dedicated to matching your interests with worthy people and projects.

Let us help you turn your Pirate passion into philanthropic support for any of your favorite areas at ECU. You can learn more about giving at give.ecu.edu.

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STUDENT SNAPSHOT

Iyaira Williams

Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina Major: Public health with a community health concentration Career goals: Public health

Iyaira Williams sees her future self as a bridge builder between health care systems and healthier communities.

“I just know I want to serve people. I want to serve as many as I can and impact at least one,” she said.

Williams, a rising junior, is already making a difference in East Carolina University’s Purple Pantry, which aims to decrease food insecurity among students.

She was ECU’s ambassador in the Collegiate Hunger Challenge, a competition among North Carolina schools. ECU took first place and a $10,000 prize.

A common misconception is that hunger is related to homelessness or poverty. “Food insecurity is not specific

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to one type of individual or one type of situation or lifestyle,” Williams said. “It just means that you don’t know where your next meal is coming from, and that is very prominent on college campuses.”

The Purple Pantry tries to meet students’ needs whatever the circumstance. Williams and her mother used food pantries growing up; it wasn’t any different from going to the grocery store — as it should be, she said.

“I’m just trying to give back to the hand that once gave to me and extend that hand to others,” Williams said.

She shares her story to help combat the stigma attached to food pantries or receiving help. “I like to compare it to when you’re struggling in math, you go to tutoring,” she said. “It’s the same mindset.”

Williams also is student leadership assistant in ECU’s Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement and a resident advisor in Jarvis Residence Hall.

– Crystal Baity

Elizabeth Gardill, a physical education and health fitness specialist student, crawls through a tube in PeeDee’s Sensory Room in Minges Coliseum. The room reopened Feb. 12 at ECU’s annual autism awareness basketball game. It first opened in February 2020 as part of the College of Health and Human Performance design for disability initiative. This relaunch was led by faculty members David Loy, A.J. An and Jennifer Hodgson and in conjunction with Aces for Autism and ECU Athletics. ECU trustee Leigh Fanning and her sister, Ellen Jeffreys Bland, contributed a total gift of $15,000 toward the initiative.

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PIRATE NATION

The Other Dr. Gilmer

ALUMNUS WRITES STORY OF A MOUNTAIN MURDER AND MENTAL HEALTH Dr. Benjamin Gilmer ’06 When Dr. Benjamin Gilmer ’06 reported to his new job as a rural physician in western North Carolina, he learned he had the same last name as the doctor he was replacing.

From there, the story shifted from coincidence to saga that he turned into a book about physician advocacy, incarceration and mental illness.

The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice, published by Penguin Random House in March, chronicles a story that was featured on NPR’s This American Life in 2013 and is now being produced as a motion picture. The story began when Gilmer got a job near Asheville replacing Dr. Vince Gilmer — the two are not related — after the latter doctor went to prison for killing his father.

“I’m a family medicine doctor, and I wanted to share that one really important part of what we do as physicians, especially family medicine physicians, is to advocate,” Gilmer said. “That’s the biggest thing I want to leave for students: that it’s OK to jump into a journey you may never have known before.”

Gilmer, who is also an associate professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and Mountain Area Health Education Center’s Family Medicine Residency program, realized he needed to write the book in 2017, after then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia denied a clemency petition for Vince Gilmer, who had been sentenced to life in prison.

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Vince Gilmer practiced medicine at Cane Creek Family Health Center in Fletcher until June 2004. He was convicted of strangling his father with a rope; he then cut off his fingers and left the body on the side of a road in Virginia. Vince Gilmer returned to the clinic and practiced medicine for several days before he was arrested. He eventually confessed to the killing.

When Benjamin Gilmer joined the clinic, patients told him Vince Gilmer had been a great doctor and person. Filled with curiosity and questions, Benjamin Gilmer began visiting Vince Gilmer in prison and became convinced his predecessor suffered from serious mental health issues, including Huntington’s disease, an inherited disease that can cause bizarre or unusual behavior, that were not recognized by prison officials.

From there, Benjamin Gilmer’s passion for justice grew until he was compelled to find time to write the book. Gilmer would get up at 4 or 5 a.m. to write, go care for patients and then write more after work.

His advocacy might have made a difference. On Jan. 13, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam — who read a preview copy of The Other Dr. Gilmer — pardoned Vince Gilmer, now 59. Because of COVID restrictions and a lack of beds in a suitable psychiatric institution, he is still in prison but looks forward to his future.

“So much about studying medicine either beats the ideals out of you or consolidates them and makes them stronger,” Ben Gilmer said. “I want to use this book as a tool to help protect (students’) idealism and help strengthen their focus about the importance of pursuing advocacy work and social justice in medicine — to make sure it’s on their radar and to encourage them to be bold.”

— Spaine Stephens

The Art of Giving Producing art is a passion. Teaching art is a privilege. Ensuring future generations of promising artists have the opportunity to learn and grow?

That’s a legacy.

And it’s what has led renowned artist and teacher Bob Rankin ’70 to give back to the university that opened up a world of possibility to a young man with a dream.

A Raleigh native, Rankin joked he didn’t exactly “set the world on fire” as a Broughton High School student. Math and science were just distractions that kept him from doing what he loved: exploring colors and mediums as a burgeoning young artist.

“ECU gave me a chance to prove myself as a student, and for that I’m forever grateful,” Rankin said. “I loved the teaching, the community and the one-on-one connections I made at ECU. It was a whole new world for me.”

After graduating with a degree in art education, Rankin had a long and successful career as a high school art teacher. He spent 25 years at Sanderson High School in Raleigh – bringing national acclaim to the school through the National Scholastic Art Awards and earning it a reputation as one of the area’s leading art programs.

As a mixed media artist, his work can be abstract or dimensional – and sometimes a marriage of the two. But one common strand within his work?

Color.

“I’m a colorist – and am never afraid of using color,” Rankin said. “Beyond that, I’m always trying new things. I have a low tolerance for boredom. I work through series I’ll enter into

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ARTISTS AND CREATORS

Bob Rankin ’70

juried shows, series I’ll produce for galleries and then of course I’m always changing what I have displayed in my home studio.”

Since leaving Sanderson in 2000, teaching has remained a large part of his life.

“I’ve been able to teach workshops all over the world. I spent several summers in Italy teaching workshops at the La Romita School of Art in a renovated 16th century monastery in the middle of oil groves and vineyards,” Rankin said. “Having locals bring in lunches, along with carafes of local red and white wine on each table, was an incredible experience.”

Rankin hopes he can pass that same love of art and teaching to new generations of ECU students. In addition to his longtime scholarship support to the School of Art and Design, Rankin has a planned gift to create the Robert George Rankin IV Scholarship, which will support art and design students, with priority given to those studying painting and art education.

“I look at it this way: I’ve been able to make some money producing artwork that’s allowed me to take care of my family. Now it’s time for me to provide others with the same wonderful opportunity I’ve had,” Rankin said. “What better legacy could I leave than giving someone else the gift of education?”

— Caroline Barnhill From wedding, engagement and birth announcements to job promotions, creative projects, travel and fun, learn what’s happening in the professional and personal lives of East Carolina University® alumni.

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PIRATE SPIRIT

‘Gritty, quick, smart’

WILSON WINS ON THE FIELD AND IN THE CLASSROOM

Elizabeth Wilson It’s been said lacrosse is a game that combines soccer, basketball and hockey, with the ultimate goal of getting the ball in the other team’s net. The players who do that scoring are called attackers.

“Attackers are gritty, quick, smart and aggressive,” said Elizabeth Wilson, a Raleigh native and attacker on ECU women’s lacrosse team.

She graduated in May with a degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing.

Those attacker attributes have translated off the field as well for Wilson. She earned the Donald L. and Barbara Hatch Scholarship in Marketing making her one of a select few Pirate athletes to earn both academic and athletic scholarships during their time at ECU. “My parents have always worked so incredibly hard to provide my siblings and I with opportunities,” said Wilson.

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for academic scholarships because I wanted to do everything in my power to contribute.

“The Hatch Scholarship was an incredible surprise. It means so much to me that ECU provides these opportunities for students. Being so interested in what I was studying, having professors who worked with us during the pandemic, and having online classes, I really discovered I also was passionate about school. From there, I was just really driven on and off the field.”

In addition to academics, the College of Business focuses on leadership and professional development. Wilson helped lead her student group on a consulting project for a local company.

“Elizabeth is a team player who recognizes the importance of making sure everyone on her team has a voice,” said Brian Taillon, assistant professor in the supply chain and marketing department in the College of Business.

Said Wilson: “I’ve been able to apply the leadership skills I learned in the classroom with each new group

Year: Senior Major: Business administration Hometown: Raleigh,

North Carolina

I’VE BEEN ABLE TO APPLY THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS I LEARNED IN THE CLASSROOM WITH EACH NEW GROUP OF PLAYERS THAT COMES THROUGH THE PROGRAM. ... I HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO BETTER EXPRESS MY THOUGHTS AND TO LEAD THE FRESHMEN PLAYERS BOTH ON AND OFF THE FIELD. of players that comes through the program. I’ve noticed that I have the confidence to better express my thoughts and to lead the freshmen players both on and off the field.”

– Michael Rudd

5 minutes with

SGT. SANDRA GEORGE ROBINSON ’92

By Erin Ward

Position: Registered nurse, founder of Combat Female Veterans Families United Degree: Nursing Hometown: Jamestown, North Carolina

We want to hear stories from alumni about how their experiences at ECU shaped them today and how they pass those lessons to others.

Send us an email at easteditor@ecu.edu.

What made you want to pursue nursing as a career?

I have always loved to care for people. To have a profession that gives you stability while at the same time being trusted to help someone in their time of need is an honor.

Was there a class or professor at ECU that made an impact on you?

I was in my junior year and in the Army Reserves when I got a call that I was activated to go to war. Within 24 hours I had to move out of my apartment and become an active-duty service member. I returned after nine months, and all my professors helped me study for the exams I missed and double up on courses I still had to take. I always share wonderful things about the university because of the support they gave me both leaving and returning. Professor Eldean Pierce, Dean Sylvia Brown and Dean Phyllis Horns made a significant impact on my education and career. They made sure I did not give up on my dreams and encouraged me to be the person I am today.

You are the first Black alumna to make a planned gift to the College of Nursing. What was your motivation for philanthropy?

I am glad to be able to make that difference.

I hope many others join me. When I was in school, I was president of the Black ECU Nursing Society. It feels like I was meant to be the first, meant to lead the way and be the voice for the Black nursing school community.

I have always believed in leading from the front. If not I, then who?

Why do you think it’s important for alumni to give back?

When you have a successful college and professional experience, that is the result of your education and support system. ECU was both during one of the hardest times of my life (life after war). Giving back gives you a unique sense of purpose. I know that I am giving back to a place that made me who I am today.

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MORE THAN $8.4 MILLION RAISED DURING PIRATE NATION GIVES

East Carolina University alumni and friends pledged more than $8.4 million during the sixth annual Pirate Nation Gives on March 23. That surpassed last year’s record total of $6.5 million, and more than 1,500 individual donors contributed to the effort.

“Giving back to ECU is a way for every Pirate to be involved in the impact this university has on our students, our region and the world,” said Christopher Dyba, vice chancellor for university advancement. “Pirate Nation Gives is a time for us to connect with each other in support of ECU. Every gift, large or small, makes an impact.”

Diana Haytko, professor and chair of marketing and supply chain management, gave in memory of her mother, who grew up in Germany during World War II and never had the opportunity to finish college.

“My parents both taught their three girls that education was the key to the American dream,” she said. “I am a firstgeneration college graduate from a lower income home. My mother pushed me to get a master’s degree and the Ph.D.” After living with Haytko for 16 years, her mother died in April 2020.

“We were inseparable for 16 years. I wanted to honor her memory with something she would have agreed with,” Haytko said. Fundraising to reward faculty is often overlooked, she said, and she wanted to do something for them.

“They do the job because they love it,” she said. “They love teaching and working with students. … That is why I created (the Elizabeth Haytko Faculty Fellowship) to provide a $5,000 award for an MVP faculty member, as a thank you.”

In addition to funding the first five years of the faculty fellowship, Haytko has pledged $1 million in her will to establish two professorships — one focused

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on teaching, the other on research — and a studyabroad scholarship program.

ECU donors can specify where and how they would like their funds to be used, earmarking funds for scholarships, research, innovative programs and more.

For Eileen Shokler, a longtime resident of Greenville who served as a guardian ad litem in Pitt County for eight years, it was important to support abused and neglected children in eastern North Carolina.

Her $100,000 gift will fund training programs for staff and volunteers at the TEDI BEAR Child Advocacy Center, a partnership between the Brody School of Medicine and the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital. It is the largest children’s advocacy center in North Carolina and provides critically important services to children who have been victims of child abuse or neglect.

Among many notable gifts were the following: • Kathleen Adams ’92 ’97; Mary Chatman ’90 ’96 ’12; Jim ’63 and Selba ’64 Harris; and Dr. Mary Raab for nursing scholarships.

• Col. (Ret.) Worth ’77 ’81 and Dolores Carter for College of Health and Human Performance, College of Business, and Air Force ROTC. • Kay ’76 and Ken ’68 ’71 Chalk and Robert ’78 and Amy Brinkley for Honors College travel.

• Denise Dickins, ECU professor, for Students’ Treasure Chest.

• Oak Foundation for University Priority Fund for Greatest Needs.

• Mike ’76 ’78 and Alice ’73 ’76 Taylor for Joyner Library.

• The Wooten Family for the Wooten Family Initiative for Brain Health Research Endowment.

– Jules Norwood

On March 25, members of Pirate Nation gathered in Minges Coliseum to celebrate the public launch of the Pursue Gold campaign. That evening, more than 400 alumni, supporters and friends of ECU engaged with students, heard from Chancellor Philip Rogers, and learned about the campaign priorities. To close out the celebration, The Embers featuring Craig Woolard performed for the lively crowd. The Pursue Gold campaign has now raised more than $395 million for priorities across campus. $500 MILLION

395*

$

TOWARD CAMPAIGN ALREADY RAISED, PLEDGED OR COMMITTED

MILLION

*APPX.

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In Memoriam A LU M N I 1940s Eloise B. Capps ’43 of Raleigh, N.C., on March 12, 2022.

Lona M. Hackenberg ’44 of Silver Spring, Md., on Sept. 21, 2021.

Anne B. Murphy ’49 of Morehead City, N.C., on Feb. 16, 2022.

Florence Nowell ’40 of Hertford, N.C., on Feb. 8, 2022.

Slade Phillips Jr. ’49 ’50 of Elberon, Va., on Nov. 18, 2021.

Iola H. Winesett ’47 ’53 of Rowland, N.C., on Jan. 20, 2022.

1950s Alison Atkins ’52 ’61 of Wilmington, N.C., on Nov. 2, 2021.

Janet Alligood ’55 of Washington, N.C., on Jan. 7, 2022.

Robert T. Cherry ’50 ’51 of Fayetteville, N.C., on Nov. 18, 2021.

Barbara Churn ’56 ’57 of Raleigh, N.C., on Feb. 23, 2022.

Barbara H. Cox ’56 of Greensboro, N.C., on Dec. 28, 2021.

Eleanor J. Cuthrell ’59 of Danville, Va., on Feb. 2, 2022.

Wade M. Davis ’53 of Raleigh, N.C., on Jan. 21, 2022.

Donnie Dudley ’56 of Beaufort, N.C., on Oct. 17, 2021.

Joyce Ann Granger ’55 of Deland, Fla., on Jan. 8, 2022.

Daniel “Tom” Hannon III ’59 of Henderson, N.C., on Nov. 25, 2021.

Clare Jessup ’59 of New Bern, N.C., on Nov. 21, 2021.

James Thomas Lamm ’59 of Wilson, N.C., on March 23, 2022.

T. Parker Maddrey ’56 of Winston-Salem, N.C., on Jan. 10, 2022.

Linda McLawhorn Perry ’58 of Pine Knoll Shores, N.C., on Jan. 5, 2022.

Barbara C. Pollard ’57 ’60 of Durham, N.C., on Oct. 12, 2021.

Titus Nelson Price ’57 of Lumberton, N.C., on Jan. 28, 2022.

Leland Richardson ’56 of Winston-Salem, N.C., on Nov. 12, 2021.

Harold K. Warren ’56 ’72 of Fayetteville, N.C., on Oct. 16, 2021.

Wayne Workman ’58 of Greensboro, N.C., on Feb. 3, 2022.

1960s Robert Allen ’66 of Rocky Mount, N.C., on Dec. 2, 2021.

Betsy O. Anderson ’62 of Concord, N.C., on Dec. 13, 2021.

Patricia S. Basquin ’69 of Warrenton, Va., on Nov. 25, 2021.

Linda D. Bizzell ’68 of Smithfield, N.C., on Feb. 12, 2022.

Warren “Tony” Bowes ’69 of Greensboro, N.C., on Oct. 3, 2021.

Lawton Brown ’63 of Magnolia, N.C., on Jan. 16, 2022.

Faye Baker Bundy ’62 of Raleigh, N.C., on March 20, 2022.

Janet M. Burgess ’63 of Johnson City, Tenn., on Oct. 10, 2021.

Donna Colquitt ’68 ’70 of Charlotte, N.C., on Jan. 4, 2022.

Thomas John Daniel ’68 of Charleston, S.C., on Sept. 29, 2021.

Anthony Gruszczynski ’62 of Wilmington, Del., on Oct. 27, 2021.

Janice Johnson Hager ’69 of Taylorsville, N.C., on Nov. 25, 2021.

Brenda Higgs ’66 of Midlothian, Va., on Jan. 26, 2022.

Linda J. Hardison ’62 of High Point, N.C., on Jan. 21, 2022.

Charles M. Herring ’69 of Elizabeth City, N.C., on Jan. 1, 2022.

Brenda Higgs ’66 of Midlothian, Va., on Jan. 26, 2022.

Jimmy Thad Hodges ’65 ’72 ’81 of Washington, N.C., on March 6, 2022.

Joseph H. Jernigan Jr. ’62 of Graceville, Fla., on Dec. 1, 2021.

Jeanette Jones ’64 of Richmond, Va., on Jan. 13, 2022.

Peggy P. Jones ’65 of Lynchburg, Va., on Oct. 21, 2021.

Preston Jones Jr. ’64 of Washington, N.C., on March 13, 2022.

Donald E. Keller ’61 of Winston-Salem, N.C., on Dec. 15, 2021.

Charles R. Klingman ’66 of Roanoke, Va., on Nov. 13, 2021.

Sylvia L. Lamm ’62 of Lucama, N.C., on Oct. 3, 2021.

Eddie Mitchell ’65 of Winston-Salem, N.C., on March 1, 2022.

Thomas Newman ’69 of Richmond, Va., on Jan. 6, 2022.

Mary Lu Perry ’62 of Garner, N.C., on Dec. 14, 2021.

Victor Pickett ’64 of Arlington, Va., on March 17, 2022.

Jean Brown Pratt ’66 of Wilmington, N.C., on Dec. 9, 2021.

Sherrill G. Rafferty ’60 of Novato, Calif., on Jan. 26, 2022.

Stanley Roberson ’62 of Kinston, N.C., on Dec. 8, 2021.

Doris Rudisill ’63 of Treasure Island, Fla., on March 3, 2022.

Sandra Jones Sasser ’69 of Mount Olive, N.C., on Oct. 14, 2021.

Joanne “Cookie” Schaekel ’69 of Chapin, S.C., on Nov. 6, 2021.

Doris Sewell ’64 of Jacksonville, N.C., on Jan. 16, 2022.

Ella Mae Smith ’61 of Conway Lakes, Fla., on Dec. 2, 2021.

Forrest C. Smith ’62 of Roaring Gap, N.C., on Dec. 31, 2021.

Guy P. Sumpter ‘67 III of Wilmington, N.C., on Oct. 21, 2021.

Frances Tankard ’65 of Washington, N.C., on March 8, 2022.

Jeanne Whitford ’61 of Savannah, Ga., on Nov. 5, 2021.

Jerry Wilkins ’62 of Wilmington, N.C., on Dec. 24, 2021.

William G. Wilson ’60 of Raleigh, N.C., on Dec. 9, 2021.

1970s Charles Stephen Alford ’73 of Greenville, N.C., on Dec. 24, 2021.

Robert David Barbour ’75 of Weaverville, N.C., on Jan. 31, 2022.

Gene Bodenheimer ’79 of Clemmons, N.C., on Feb. 27, 2022.

David H. Bromm ’79 of Roanoke, Va., on Dec. 16, 2021.

Hewitt “Buddy” Brown Jr. ’77 of Buies Creek, N.C., on Dec. 11, 2021, Donnie M. Dees ’76 of Fayetteville, N.C., on Jan. 2, 2022.

Owen Dudley Jr. ’71 of Naples, Fla., on Nov. 16, 2021.

Jerry B. English ’72 of New Bern, N.C., on Oct. 18, 2021.

Thomas Evans Jr. ’74 of Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Dec. 24, 2021.

John J. Gresko ’75 of Cranston, R.I., on Feb. 28, 2022.

Tommy Houston ’71 ’75 of Aiken, S.C., on Dec. 1, 2021.

Faye B. Jordan ’78 of Raeford, N.C., on Jan. 27, 2022.

Noel “Tommy” Manning ’78 of San Antonio, Texas, on Oct. 12, 2021.

Robert S. Parker ’72 ’78 of Wilmington, N.C., on Jan. 30, 2022.

Betty Lou Penny ’79 of Fuquay-Varina, N.C., on Nov. 22, 2021.

Hubert Poole ’74 of Martinsville, Va., on Jan. 12, 2022.

Sam Wornom If you’ve bought a ticket to an ECU sporting event, you might know the name Sam Wornom III ’65. His name and the name of his wife, Sandy, adorn the ECU Athletic Ticket Office. Sam Wornom died Jan. 30 in his hometown of Sanford. In 1967, Sam co-founded The Pantry, a convenience store chain that started in Sanford and eventually spread to 480 stores in five states before it was sold in 1987. An entrepreneur, he went on to start other stores and businesses. Wornom also was a founding member of the Boys & Girls Club of Sanford/Lee County and was a national trustee for Boys & Girls Clubs. At ECU, Wornom served as a Sam Wornom trustee, chairing the board in 1990-1991, and on the executive committee of the Pirate Club. He received the Outstanding Alumni Award in 1980. A significant donor, Wornom held season tickets for every Pirate sport. The new Wornom Makerspace in the Isley Innovation Hub on campus is named for him and is part of a $1 million fundraising challenge.

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O. Phillip Qualls ’77 of Apex, N.C., on March 9, 2022.

Martha Robbins ’75 of Pinetown, N.C., on Feb. 16, 2022.

Eugene F. Scott ’79 of Kenly, N.C., on Feb. 12, 2022.

Diane C. Shelton ’74 ’76 of Virginia Beach, Va., on Jan. 30, 2022.

Laura S. Soles ’78 of Wilmington, N.C., on Feb. 18, 2022.

William Thomas Southam ’71 of Orange City, Fla., on Dec. 1, 2021.

Ralph Mark Stephenson ’78 of Knightdale, N.C., on Nov. 30, 2021.

Guy Beacher Stowe III ’78 of Washington, N.C., on March 2, 2022.

William Talley ’74 of High Point, N.C., on Jan. 27, 2022.

Lorene Carraway Walsh ’78 of Raleigh, N.C., on Sept. 21, 2022.

Mark Whitney ’75 of Raleigh, N.C., on Nov. 29, 2021.

1980s Steven Craven ’80 of Pinebluff, N.C., on Jan. 19, 2022.

Betsy Fidalgo ’85 of Durham, N.C., on Oct. 7, 2021.

Virginia Flippin ’82 of Sandston, Va., on Feb. 17, 2022.

Steven Hixon ’84 of Richmond, Va., on Jan. 4, 2022.

Sarah Brewer Irvin ’84 of Spring Hope, N.C., on Nov. 14, 2021.

Hugh C. Mitchum III ’86 of Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 18, 2021.

David Neil Morgan ’80 of Winston-Salem, N.C., on Jan. 17, 2022.

Jennifer Pickwell ’87 of Eldersburg, Md., on Nov. 2, 2021.

Sharron Regan ’88 of Raleigh, N.C., on Jan. 5, 2022.

Joy Lee Schwan ’87 of Hampstead, N.C., on Dec. 13, 2021.

Millette Perry Sorie ’80 of Rocky Mount, N.C., on Dec. 21, 2021.

Nancy Trevillian ’83 of Wake Forest, N.C., on Feb. 24, 2022.

1990s Michael Patrick Phillips ’93 of Stokesdale, N.C., on Oct. 4, 2021.

Michael Stair ’95 of Wilmington, N.C., on Feb. 2, 2022.

Roger S. Woolard ’92 of Foxfire Village, N.C., on Jan. 2, 2022.

2000s Dondi Duff Callaway ’03 of Callaway, Md., on April 11, 2021.

Brett G. Ciccone ’04 of Fayetteville, N.C., on March 17, 2021.

Kelly-Grier Ferguson Costin ’06 of Suffolk, Va., on March 19, 2021.

Ted Overton ’02 of Aurora, N.C., on July 23, 2021.

Regina Parker ’08 ’19 of Clinton, N.C., on June 5, 2021.

Brian D. Pyle ’04 of Pittsburgh, Pa., on June 8, 2021.

2010s Gregory Paul Knight ’12 of Morganton, N.C., on Jan. 6, 2022.

2020s Gavin Cox ’21 of Huntersville, N.C., on March 20, 2022.

Thomas S. Jenkins ’20 of Raleigh, N.C., on Dec. 12, 2021.

FA C U LT Y / S TA F F Jane Boardman (nursing) of Greenville, N.C., on Jan. 18, 2022.

Joy Tyson Clark (student affairs) of Greenville, N.C., on Dec. 22, 2021.

John L. Eatman (business) of Greensboro, N.C., on Feb. 3, 2022.

Bobby Griffin (materials management) of Grimesland, N.C., on Sept. 16, 2021.

Marguerite Miller (career services) of Greensboro, N.C., on Oct. 22, 2021.

Marilyn Miller (library services) of Valdosta, Ga., on Feb. 15, 2022.

Timothy Moreland (athletics) of Salisbury, N.C., on Jan. 27, 2022.

Bruce C. Trible (library services) of Lafayette, La., on Jan. 27, 2022.

CONNECT SUMMER 2022 VOLUME 20, NUMBER 2 East is produced by East Carolina University

Managing Editor Doug Boyd ’99

Art Director Mike Litwin ’01

Photographers Rhett Butler, Cliff Hollis

Contributing Writers Crystal Baity, Caroline Barnhill, Ken Buday, Lacey L. Gray, Jules Norwood, Michael Rudd, Jamie Smith, Spaine Stephens, Erin Ward

Contributing Photographers Jenny Midgley, Will Preslar

Copy Editor Jimmy Rostar ’94

Pursue Gold Campaign Manager Nicole Stokes

Chief Communications Officer Jeannine Manning Hutson Contact Us • 252-737-1973 • easteditor@ecu.edu • www.ecu.edu/east Customer Service To start or stop a subscription or to let us know about a change of address, please contact Advancement Services at advancementservices@ecu.edu or 252-328-GIVE (4483).

Send letters to the editor to: easteditor@ecu.edu or Howard House Mail Stop 107 East Carolina University Greenville, N.C. 27858-4353 ECU photographers followed the COVID-19 health and safety guidelines in place at the time the photos were taken.

32,898 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $21,383.70 or $.65 per copy.

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East magazine

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Howard House Mail Stop 107 East Carolina University Greenville, NC 27858-4353

DueEast 4.6.22 Jamerus Payton, left center, owner of Carolina Chicken and Waffles, celebrates with his family after winning the fifth annual Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge and $15,000 to invest in his family’s business. Payton and Carolina Chicken and Waffles were among six student-led teams competing in the Miller School of Entrepreneurship’s signature pitch competition and vying to win a big part of the donor-sponsored $150,000 in cash and in-kind services.

Read more at bit.ly/3krUdTn.