Thanks a Million

— Caroline Barnhill

On a summer day in 1888, a cornerstone was laid for a new college: one that would open the doors of higher education to the next generation of mechanics and farmers and aim to fuel economic prosperity in the state of North Carolina. With remarkable foresight, NC State’s founders recognized the legacy they could leave by putting opportunity into the hands of every citizen willing to think and do.

Brick by brick, NC State has been built on the foundation of that mission – and built by the generosity of those who have believed in it.

Private support from the university’s alumni and friends funds scholarship opportunities for the underserved, expands opportunities and experiences for students, strengthens the university’s faculty and empowers cutting-edge research. 

Private support from the university’s alumni and friends funds scholarship opportunities for the underserved, expands opportunities and experiences for students, strengthens the university’s faculty and empowers cutting-edge research. 

Most of all, it gives every member of the Pack the opportunity to leave their mark on the world through applied innovation that solves problems and fuels prosperity.

“Poole College has become what it is today because of the generosity of individuals who believe in the impact of the college,” says Brian Clark, executive director of development and external relations for NC State. “I am consistently amazed when I meet with our alumni and supporters how deeply they care for the college and how invested they are in growing it for future generations.” 

Capturing the spirit of this community, NC State launched a new campaign on October 28, 2016. With the goal of raising $1.6 billion in private support by the end of 2021, the Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign marked the boldest fundraising effort in the university’s history – and one that would allow the university to take its mission to new heights. 

For the Poole College of Management, its initial campaign goal of $65 million was an audacious one – and one that the college’s alumni and friends embraced wholeheartedly. In April 2018, Poole College’s donor community met this aspirational goal more than three and a half years ahead of schedule.

But they weren’t finished.

On June 30, 2021, Poole College hit and exceeded $100 million in private support from alumni and friends who believe, like NC State’s founders did, in the transformational power of higher education.

“Words can’t describe the excitement that reverberated in the college when we hit that $100 million mark,” says Frank Buckless, dean of the Poole College of Management. “To sit and reflect on the hard work from our team at Poole, and the generosity and commitment of our alumni, friends and industry partners, is something I’ll never forget.”

A Legacy of Giving

A tremendous moment in the life of the college, the $100-million mark harkens back to a number of key milestones that have paved the way and created a culture of giving at Poole College.

In 2007, Ben and Marianne Jenkins endowed the Jenkins Graduate Programs – including the Master of Accounting, Master of Business Administration and Graduate Economics Program offered jointly by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Poole College of Management – to support economic and business development in North Carolina. 

Three years later, voices hushed in Nelson Auditorium as the college received a new name and Lonnie and Carol Poole announced a colossal gift of $40 million to the university – including $37 million to fund an endowment supporting the College of Management. One of the largest single donations in NC State’s history, the Poole Family Endowment enabled the College of Management to become what it is today: a leader in sustainability and one of the top entrepreneurship programs in the country. Through this endowment, Poole College has attracted the brightest faculty, supported transformative research and launched new initiatives and programs, including the college’s Entrepreneurship Clinic.

In 2014, another historic gift was made to the college. With a $4 million endowment from Steve and Judy Zelnak, Poole College established the university’s first endowed dean’s chair: the Stephen P. Zelnak Jr. Dean’s Chair in the Poole College of Management. A prestigious position, the Zelnak Chair enables the college to attract and retain the brightest academic leaders, advance academic excellence and position itself as a world-class business school.

On the heels of the Zelnaks’ endowment, Russ and Cara McLauchlan offered their own generous gift to Poole College. They launched the McLauchlan Leadership Series – a professional development program for Jenkins MBA students that aims to develop ambitious students into high-capacity leaders. Through executive networking, coaching and personal leadership challenges, the program develops personal, team and organizational leadership skills in the next generation of leaders.

The More the Merrier

The spirit of philanthropy, it seems, is contagious. Now the very fabric of Poole College, the generosity of Poole’s alumni and friends, continues to spur on more and more philanthropy supporting the college’s mission to think and do.

For alumnus Chip Andrews and his wife, Lyn, supporting that mission involved a $1 million gift to establish the NC State Acceleration Fund in 2016. The fund, which awards annual grants to student startup companies, furthers the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at Poole and drives economic development in North Carolina. 

Three-time NC State alumnus Dr. James “Jim” W. Owens invested in the college’s future with the James W. Owens Distinguished Chair in International Economics. Establishing a collaboration between Poole College and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, as well as a partnership between the university and the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), the gift advances research, fuels innovation and raises NC State’s status as a local, national and international leader.

To advance the college’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, the VF foundation made a gift supporting marginalized students in 2018. Providing support to participate in Poole College’s experiential learning opportunities, the gift removes barriers and opens new doors to graduate and undergraduate students.

Charlie Stallings, too, views giving to Poole as an opportunity to open doors. After endowing the Charles E. Stallings Family Scholarship in 2012 for students in financial need, his family increased their impact through the Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign – strengthening their endowed fund, making a documented estate gift and providing annual gifts to the Poole College of Management.

Many more families have left their mark by giving back to the college – including Michael and Geelea Seaford Shipton, who established the Shipton Family First Generation Opportunity Scholarship to support first-generation college students, and the Bell family, who established the Bell Family Foundation Career Center Excellence Fund to support Poole College’s Career Center and develop highly-skilled, competitive graduates. 

And for alumnus Matt Hong, one endowment simply wasn’t enough. Less than a year after establishing an endowed scholarship in honor of his mother in the spring of 2018, he established a second endowment to support faculty in honor of his father. 

The Best Is Yet to Come

While the college has grown substantially in the last decade, the $100-million mark is a reminder to Poole College that the best is yet to come. 

With sights set on becoming a world-class, forward-focused business school with a reputation for solving complex problems in a global, technology-driven marketplace, the college sees various opportunities to grow. It looks ahead to expanding hands-on experiences, furthering faculty research, improving collaborative facilities, recruiting the best and brightest and increasing student access to a superior education. 

We are thankful for the individuals and families who have laid the foundation and set the example for us in equipping the next generation. And I can’t wait to see what’s next.

And as it takes steps forward, the college is confident that many more generous hands will join theirs along the way.

“I have no doubt that Poole College’s best days are ahead of it,” Buckless says. “We are thankful for the individuals and families who have laid the foundation and set the example for us in equipping the next generation. And I can’t wait to see what’s next.”