September 22, 1998

Rocky Mount, NC -- The Gravely Upper-class Scholarship Fund is established to give at least two rising juniors from Nash or Edgecombe Community Colleges the opportunity to earn an undergraduate degree at North Carolina Wesleyan College. Preference for the scholarships goes to North Carolina students living in Nash and Edgecombe counties who have completed an associate degree at either Nash or Edgecombe Community Colleges and who have established high financial need. College Presidents John B. White, North Carolina Wesleyan; Hartwell Fuller, Edgecombe Community College; and Reid Parrott, Nash Community College; met at Wesleyan to finalize the announcement.

Through a cooperative program, a committee, with representation from all three colleges, selected two students from each of the two community colleges to receive full scholarships. These four scholarship recipients are funded by the Gravely Foundation at their respective community colleges. Of the four students, two will automatically receive full scholarships to attend NC Wesleyan, upon successfully completing their associate degrees. The other two students will be offered alternate financial assistance packages for consideration to attend NC Wesleyan. The first four students chosen to receive the scholarships are Jennifer Denise Batts from Nashville, NC, and Danyotta Bryant Wright from Rocky Mount, NC, who have enrolled at Nash Community College, and Sandi W. Proctor from Tarboro, NC, and Dikeisha Hines Woods from Rocky Mount, who are attending classes at Edgecombe Community College.

"This scholarship fund creates a wonderful opportunity for talented but disadvantaged students from Nash and Edgecombe counties to go to college on full scholarships, first through the two counties’ community colleges for their associate degrees, and then finishing up at NC Wesleyan for their bachelor’s degrees," said NC Wesleyan President John White. "The Gravely Foundation is making a significant contribution toward educating the citizens of the two counties through this new fund."

Students are encouraged to complete the undergraduate requirements within four years, although they are allowed two academic years to complete their associate degrees and up to three years for their bachelor’s degrees. Eligible students must complete all admissions criteria at each institution and be fully admitted to the institution.

This new scholarship fund is created in addition to the Gravely Honors Scholarships, a number of which are given each year to North Carolina Wesleyan students. The locally administered Gravely Foundation is committed to helping individuals through the provision of educational opportunities.

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