Durham Tech aims to double endowment to $5 million for scholarships, future needs

Durham Tech is in the final year of a campaign to double endowment funds to $5 million for future scholarships and other institutional priorities. Learn more about giving today at www.durhamtech.edu/endowments.

The Durham Technical Community College Foundation aims to successfully complete a campaign to double endowment funds this year for future scholarships, academic supports for students, and resources for faculty and staff. 

The ambitious target was set forth by the Foundation Board of Directors in 2016 in the Durham Tech Foundation strategic plan, at a time when the endowment totaled less than $2.5 million. To date, more than $1 million dollars has been raised in endowed funds. The fundraising effort follows a successful $5 million Forge Great Futures campaign that focused on talent development, economic opportunity, and equitable student success in 2020.

Endowments are vital to an institution’s ability to act with flexibility and foresight. The permanent resources they offer deliver sustainable funding, even amidst challenging times

— Durham Tech Foundation Executive Director Melissa Chappell.

The Durham Tech Endowment consists of nearly 40 permanently restricted funds that provide a range of resources including scholarships and emergency grants for students, digital and in-demand collections for the library, and recognition for employee excellence. 
 
Guilford Archie III, a scholarship recipient at Durham Tech, said he was the first in his immediate family to complete any college education and was grateful for the Dr. Phail Wynn, Jr. SunTrust Foundation Scholarship Endowment, which provides full scholarship support to Durham Tech recipients, with priority given to men of color and military veterans. 
 
"The Wynn Scholarship has been a tremendous help to assist me with my future. This award allowed me to improve my skills without any concerns or stress about getting tools that I needed for my job. I appreciate the investment in my future, and Dr. Wynn’s legacy will live on through my success,” Archie said. 
 
Endowments are not only an investment in the future of Durham Tech, they are a meaningful way to offer tribute to a person or program with special meaning for the donor, Chappell said. Donors may establish an endowment to celebrate a milestone in their personal or professional life or honor a family member or friend. Endowments may be created through one-time, multi-year, or planned gifts. 
 
“My wife Karen and I established a scholarship to honor the legacy of my parents who always valued education,” said former Durham Tech Trustee Mark Webbink, donor to the Harold and Eunice Webbink Scholarship. 

Donors also have the ability to personalize their endowments by selecting specific criteria and preferences. These criteria may require eligible students to be enrolled in a certain program of study or possess a particular grade point average. Preferences may indicate that a donor wishes to support a first-generation college student, a veteran, a single parent, and various other options. 

Ginny Bowman, donor to the Virgil D. Hager and Nancy & Kenan Rand Memorial Scholarship, said her family began giving to Durham Tech after seeing family friend and Durham businessman Bob Lyon’s deep commitment to the College. 

After her grandfather passed away, her mother set up the scholarship endowment. Ginny and her brother have since added their parents’ names to the endowment to continue the family legacy. 

“All three were civic servants and recognized the value that education plays in securing employment and building a stronger local community,” Bowman said. 

Creating an endowment makes a lasting difference for generations of Durham Tech students. Donors who create an endowment or make a planned gift are eligible for recognition in an honorary donor group. 

To learn more about supporting student success or endowments at Durham Tech, visit www.durhamtech.edu/endowments.