First ever diversity-based scholarship instituted

The College of Business announced yesterday that there is a new scholarship available for business students.

The scholarship-a "diversity enhancing scholarship"-is funded by ECU alumnus Danny Scott and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation Matching Gift Program and will be instituted in the 2009-10 school year. Scott's and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation's gift of $52,000 will fund the first ever diversity-based scholarship at the university.

Criteria for the scholarship include any College of Business student in good standing with the university with a proven financial need, along with any unique characteristics that diversifies that student from others.

"The College of Business is grateful to Danny Scott and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation for creating this new scholarship - an opportunity that will help our students while enriching ECU's academic environment," said Dr. Frederick Niswander, dean of the College of Business, in a news release yesterday.

The Danny R. Scott Scholarship has been in place for four years but has recently been modified to include diversity as a deciding factor. Scott says that diversity has many 'tentacles,' and is an important part of the learning process.

"Anything that makes us different is the way I see diversity," said Scott. "Deciding how the educational process and the overall student body can benefit from having different thoughts and different types of people represented in the College of Business is the purpose of this scholarship. I would like to eventually see a people of all nationalities utilize this scholarship."

In the spring 2008 semester, the College of Business had 2,624 undergraduate students, of which 22 percent were non-white. Two percent were international students.

The aspect of giving to students who have a financial need is another reason why Scott wanted to put this scholarship into place.

"I didn't grow up in a wealthy family, [so] if I can help a student who is needy financially, that would be great," he said.

Each deserving student who receives the scholarship will be awarded $2,300 for the school year.

Scott graduated from ECU in 1984 with a B.S. in Business Administration and says that giving back to his alma mater is a gratifying experience.

"When I look back at my time at ECU, from the classroom to campus life to social life, it kind of made me who I am," he said.

The first recipient of the scholarship will be announced in April of 2009. Applications for the Danny R. Scott Scholarship will be available beginning Feb. 1, 2009.

Scott has worked for Anheuser-Busch for 19 years and was recently named the vice president of diversity for the company. He currently resides in St. Louis, MO with his wife, Connie Shelton.

For more information about the Danny R. Scott Scholarship, visit the College of Business' Web site at ecu.edu/cs%2Dbus/.

This writer can be contacted at editor@theeastcarolinian.com.