N.C. A&T engineering school receives $1M donation from Clark Foundation

The College of Engineering at North Carolina A&T University’ has received a $1 million investment from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation.

N.C. A&T will use the investment over two years to fund completion scholarships with an emphasis on supporting eligible students from Washington, D.C. 

Half of the investment supports students at risk of withdrawing from the university because of unmet financial need. The A&T Center for Academic Excellence uses data analytics to identify students who are eligible for this assistance. 

The other half of the investment fund is committed to launch a matching gift campaign to bolster an Engineering Completion Scholarships Endowment to support students with unmet financial need to reduce withdrawals. 

“Our investment in N.C. A&T will help hundreds of students ensure their path to college completion," said Joe Del Guercio, president and CEO of the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation. “Our partnership with N.C. A&T is consistent with our commitment to producing a robust and diverse field of future engineers.” 

Completion scholarship recipients have a dedicated academic advisor for regular meetings where discussions around performance and overall well-being will take place along with semester assessments of their progress toward completing their engineering degree.

Sixty-five students, including three from Washington, D.C., have been supported with completion scholarships for the spring 2021 semester after the Covid-19 pandemic left many of them without reliable income to continue the pursuit of their engineering degrees. 

With the allocation of nearly $250,000 in Clark Foundation scholarships, all of these students are now in good academic and financial standing with the COE and the university and on track to graduate in either the spring 2021 or fall 2021 semesters. 

The $1 million investment from the Clark Foundation to the COE will continue to strengthen A&T’s retention of high-potential underrepresented students with financial need. 

Since it was founded in 1987, the Clark Foundation has supported hundreds of nonprofits. Its engineering portfolio also includes A. James Clark Scholars Programs at 11 partner universities, and investments in the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland and the National Institute of Student Success at Georgia State University.