Rocky Mount, N.C.—North Carolina Wesleyan College’s 25^th “Day for Wesleyan” fundraiser is set for Tuesday, September 12. The annual event attracts nearly 100 volunteers from the community who visit or contact more than 500 area businesses and individuals to ask for gifts and pledges for the College. Funds help support scholarships for deserving students who otherwise could not attend Wesleyan. In addition, gifts provide library resources, teaching materials and equipment, computers, and ongoing needs of the College.

This year’s “Day for Wesleyan” coincides with the 50^th anniversary year of the founding of the College.

RBC Centura recently made an advance gift of $10,000 in support of “Day for Wesleyan.” Here, Lowry Perry, right, commercial account manager, officially presents a check to Wesleyan President Ian Newbould.

With financial assistance from the United Methodist Church, Wesleyan was chartered on October 25, 1956, as a result of a great effort by many people of the Rocky Mount area who saw a need for a college in the region. As a result of generous community support, North Carolina Wesleyan College was able to open its doors to the first class of students in the fall of 1960.

The “Day for Wesleyan” event continues the tradition of community support for the work of the College. Tuition and fees at the private, church-related school cover only a part of the cost of educating students. Additional funds raised through “Day for Wesleyan” help the College meet ongoing needs.

Last year’s event generated a record total of $503,652, and this year the College aspires to surpass last year’s amount.

Three community co-chairs this year are Dennis Marsh, local community and public affairs manager for Embarq; Steven McIntosh, a 2002 Wesleyan graduate and a senior systems analyst with Hospira in Rocky Mount; and Michael Pratt, a 1966 Wesleyan graduate who is headmaster at the Rocky Mount Preparatory School, the state’s largest charter school.

Enrollment on the Wesleyan campus this fall exceeds 800 students. Most are from North Carolina and many come from the Rocky Mount area. Wesleyan also enrolls about 1,000 students in its Adult Degree Program (ADP), which operates on the Rocky Mount campus and at sites in Goldsboro and the Raleigh area. The ADP makes it possible for adults with responsibilities of work and family to begin or complete a bachelor’s degree through evening, weekend, and accelerated courses.

Wesleyan offers bachelor’s degrees in more than 20 major subjects. The most popular include business administration, justice studies, and computer information systems. The teacher education program helps the area meet the critical need for teachers, and this fall a program in special education has been added to the teacher education curriculum.

Individuals or businesses interested in participating in this year’s event should contact the Office of Development at Wesleyan, 252-985-5266.