New Fraternity Scholarship Connects Alumni With Students

Being the first student to receive the Alpha Brotherhood Scholarship in 2024 meant financial relief for sophomore Samir Flagg, and it introduced him to a group of men who want to see him succeed.

“This award really showed me that I have people to support me in my academic efforts,” Flagg said upon receiving the award.

Indeed, support is what this new endowment is all about. The brothers of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity want to stand behind current and future students to help those students achieve their academic goals.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. – Eta Omicron Chapter was the first Black Greek organization on campus, founded in 1971. Chapter members have been longtime supporters of NC State’s Black Alumni Society scholarships, raising more than double their goal toward scholarships during the chapter’s 50^th anniversary fundraising campaign culminating in 2021. Yet even with that commitment, the brothers saw a need for additional student support.

“We saw challenges at NC State in getting Black males to attend the school,” says Ken Vereen ’83, an Alpha Phi Alpha alumnus. “So the brotherhood issued another challenge — we worked with the university to establish a new scholarship.”

The goal is to raise $56,000 by the chapter’s 55^th anniversary in 2026. However, the brothers quickly realized they didn’t want to wait that long to award the first scholarship. With more than $35,000 raised so far, they decided to bestow a scholarship this year.

“We are still working toward the endowment,” Vereen says. “We want to encourage Black males to attend NC State and also help those already attending that have financial need, so we didn’t think we could wait another four or five years to start awarding this scholarship.”

In fact, they hope supporting Flagg now will encourage other brothers to give in the future.

“We hope other brothers see that the ball is starting to roll here, and we’ve already awarded this scholarship,” says Arthur Petteway ’81, also an Alpha Phi Alpha alumnus.

The scholarship is intended for Black males with a good entering GPA or who are maintaining a strong GPA at NC State, Vereen says. The brothers hope it will also sway incoming students who may be considering where to enroll.

“We want to try to get students who are maybe on the borderline — considering State or other schools — and maybe that little bit of financial support encourages them to come to NC State,” Vereen says.

Kanton Reynolds ’95, director of Undergraduate Programs for the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at NC State, brings a unique perspective to this fundraising campaign as an Alpha Phi Alpha member, NC State alumnus and current faculty member. He knows additional undergraduate scholarships are a need on campus.

“I have parents call me all the time with financial concerns,” he says. “A lot of other schools provide more upfront funding than NC State where, in the student’s first year, there’s not as much support toward tuition and fees.

“There are added costs as well — the College of Engineering has the enhancement fee, for example — and these are the types of gaps we’re trying to close with this scholarship.”

Enrollment by Black students has declined over the past 10 to 15 years, Reynolds says. He believes if NC State can close the gap with other schools when it comes to financial support, these prospective students will choose NC State when they look at their options.

“If we level the (financial) playing field, then the culture, the community and the programs we have will win out,” he says.

So the alumni Eta Omicron brothers are issuing the call for scholarship support with that in mind, Petteway says. Fellow Eta Omicron alumni are encouraged to give as the chapter approaches its 55^th anniversary. The group plans to gather members together in person ahead of that 2026 date and make the pitch then as well, he says.

“We’re in the final stretch of this campaign,” Petteway says. “We want to make sure we have all of the funding that we’ve committed to.”

The campaign is accepting donations from anyone with an interest in supporting the scholarship, not just those involved with Alpha Phi Alpha. NC State’s 2025 Day of Giving will provide another opportunity to support the Alpha Brotherhood Scholarship, Reynolds says.

They know Day of Giving can be a day of inspiration, having seen widespread support for the scholarship during the 2024 Day of Giving, Petteway says.

“Those donors recognized what we have done in the past as a chapter,” he says. “They know we are trying to do something good.”

Vereen says he hopes his fellow NC State graduates will think about the impact the university made on their lives and choose to give back.

“We were offered an opportunity to attend NC State, graduate and have successful careers,” he says. “This is an opportunity to look back and give back to those coming up now.”