Skip to main content

Foundation event and student gift help SCC launch March to a Million

2016-03-21
Portrait of Roger Davis on SCC's Jackson Campus
Roger Davis, one of the first recipients of SCC’s Student Success Scholarships, recently made his own personal donation to the Student Success Campaign. The SCC Foundation held a “March to a Million” launch event on April 5 to launch Phase II of the Student Success Campaign, the most ambitious fundraising effort in Southwestern’s history.

Few people are in a better position than Roger Davis to fully appreciate the impact of Southwestern Community College’s Student Success Campaign.

For more than two years, the 49-year-old Otto resident held part-time jobs while working toward a business administration degree from SCC.

This past fall, he received one of the first Student Success Scholarships that were made possible by the most ambitious fundraising effort in Southwestern’s history. Because Davis is aware of how many more hard-working students could benefit from similar full-tuition scholarships, he’s made a $100 contribution to the Student Success Campaign’s Phase II: “March to a Million.”

“I am so humbled by Roger’s gift to the Student Success Campaign,” said Brett Woods, director of the SCC Foundation. “No one asked Roger to do this; he just walked in my office one day and said he wanted to give because he knows better than most of us just how far this scholarship money can go toward helping a student in need. He’s going to school full-time, so for him to dig deep and make a contribution like this shows just how much he believes in the Student Success Campaign and how we can change lives.”

A launch event for the campaign’s second phase was held on Tuesday, April 5, in the Burrell Building’s Conference Center on SCC’s Jackson Campus. A commemorative plaque was unveiled, recognizing donors who’ve each contributed more than $1,000 to the campaign.

Phase I of the campaign was achieved in 2014 as SCC was able to fully leverage a federal challenge grant that matched the first $300,000 raised. With more than $680,000 in the bank, the campaign now aims to reach the seven-figure plateau in an effort to provide more scholarships than ever before to students like Davis.

“The most touching stories I’ve become aware of as a student here are of the young mothers who are working part-time jobs while they go to school full-time,” Davis said. “Many of the students here, young men and women from 18-20 years old, have to work while attending school because of the economy in Western North Carolina. I didn’t have that kind of responsibility or discipline at that age. Because of how hard they work, they have a greater appreciation for any kind of scholarship and financial assistance they receive.”

More than 170 academically and financially eligible students apply for scholarships through the SCC Foundation each year, but fewer than one-third of those receive assistance due to limited resources.

The Student Success Campaign is an effort to bridge that gap between scholarship need and availability.

“Individuals and businesses throughout our service area really stepped up to help us maximize the federal match on Phase I of this campaign,” said Dr. Don Tomas, president of SCC. “I am grateful for the spirit of generosity that runs deep in all of the communities we serve, and I am confident we’ll be successful in our ‘March to a Million.’”

For more information about the Student Success Campaign or the SCC Foundation, contact Woods at 828.339.4241 or b_woods@southwesterncc.edu.

For help with the accessibility of this website, please use this form.