In celebration of the first four years of its Extraordinary Opportunity Scholarship Initiative (EOSI), NC State recently welcomed EOSI donors to campus to meet several recipients of the scholarships they have helped establish. The event took place April 9 in the James B. Hunt Jr. Library’s Duke Energy Hall, located on Centennial Campus.
Students were invited to take part in a Networking 101 event prior to the dinner, complete with the chance to have professional photographs taken for use on their LinkedIn pages and other career-building activities. At the dinner that followed, donors hosted each table and led conversations that included advice to the students about education, work and life in general.
A post-dinner panel discussion included Krista Ringler, NC State’s associate vice provost and director of Scholarships and Financial Aid; Mike Constantino, chair of the NC State University Foundation board; and Kacey Cooper, an alumna of NC State who received an EOSI scholarship during her time with the Pack.
EOSI was introduced in 2020 as part of NC State’s record-breaking Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign. Designed to help donors create new need-based scholarships that would enable even more undergraduates to learn, grow and succeed — and to help them put the funds into action quicker than might otherwise be possible — EOSI has enabled the Wolfpack to keep its promise of access for every student admitted to NC State by closing the gap between the cost of higher education and what a student can afford.
Through $5 million in matching funds, more than 80 named scholarships and a current-use fund to meet immediate needs, EOSI has already supported more than 430 students representing nearly half of North Carolina counties since its launch, with some students receiving renewed awards.
The need for EOSI continues, however, as new data shows. More than 70 percent of NC State undergraduates apply for financial aid, and nearly 50 percent of them qualify for some form of need-based aid as laid out by federal guidelines. Tuition has remained stable for the last eight years, despite economic changes that have taken place during that time period, but the average cost of attending the university is still $26,814. Even students who qualify for financial aid face an average of almost $18,000 in annual need.
NC State remains committed to empowering North Carolinians — of every family background and economic situation — with the opportunity to earn a college degree, and EOSI promises to continue playing an integral role in that mission.
For more information on the Extraordinary Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, visit giving.ncsu.edu/support-our-students/eosi.
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