Gold Campaign Funds Will Support Students’ Pursuit Of Higher Education A large chunk of Gold Campaign funds – about $8 million– will be poured into Erskine College’s most precious resource, its students. Support for endowed scholarships is one of eight goals for Erskine’s $35.3 million capital campaign, the largest in the school’s history. Other money raised during the campaign will be used for endowed professorships, a campus master plan, the Drummond Center, the Erskine Building, Memorial Hall, the seminary and the athletic program. Students benefit from the many scholarships offered through Erskine College. Just ask senior Rob Brown of Westminster, president of the Student Christian Association. “It’s an understatement to say that scholarships have made it possible for me to attend college at Erskine,” he said. “Without the help of Erskine scholarships, there would be no way possible for me to be here today.” Brown added, “I have been very fortunate to be the recipient of endowed scholarships, as well as other scholarship funds, set up by caring people who have never even met me. It’s amazing for me to realize that there are people out there who love Erskine so much that they would give their money so that I could attend.” Senior Wendy Workman of Laurens, president of the business organization Chi Beta Sigma at Erskine, said she realized finances would be an issue after she visited Erskine during her junior year in high school and decided it was the college for her. “As an incoming freshman, I was offered an academic scholarship and a scholarship from an anonymous donor that helped make attending Erskine College a possibility,” she said. “I am so thankful to these donors for what they have allowed me to accomplish.” Workman received more assistance through her own efforts last year. “As a junior business major, I was rewarded for having one of the highest grade point averages in the business department. I received the Jacob O. Kamm scholarship during my junior and senior year for this achievement,” she said. “Thanks to the Erskine scholarship program, I received a quality education that has given me a bright future in the field I have chosen to pursue. Erskine also provided me with the support I needed to grow in my Christian faith.” Junior Stacey Mars of Piedmont, editor of the Erskine Arrow, said it was always her ambition to attend college, but as the time drew near for her to choose an institution of higher learning, reality started to set in. “As I began to apply to various colleges and realized the cost of getting an education, I knew that there was no way I would be able to achieve my dream of going to college without scholarships,” she said. Mars took the first step toward achieving her dream by graduating from high school with honors, so she was offered several scholarships when she was accepted at Erskine. “My family and I have benefited tremendously in many ways from my scholarships,” she said. “Most of my tuition is paid for with scholarship money. When I graduate I will not have as much debt to repay as I would had I not received the scholarships. Financially, it has allowed my parents to be able to send two children to college. Beginning in January, I will have the opportunity to study abroad in Madrid, Spain, for a semester, which is paid for by my scholarship.” Sophomore Keisha Bentley of Anderson, a member of the Athenian Literary Society, receives a number of scholarships, three of which came through Erskine – the Ambrose M. and Ida E. Wylie Scholarship, the Dean’s Academic Scholarship and the Child/Spouse of Minister/Missionary Scholarship. “The scholarships weren’t hard to get,” she said. “When they were sending financial aid information, I was told to check all that applied and the Child/Spouse of Minister/Missionary Scholarship was one of them. Both of my parents are in the ministry. The Dean’s Academic Scholarship was given to me because of my grades in high school, as far as I know. I remember coming for Scholars Day and receiving a couple of certificates that indicated I would be receiving scholarship money. I applied for the Ambrose M. and Ida E. Wylie Scholarship.” Sophomore Mary Frances Milford of Greenville, a member of Erskine Students for Life, thrilled her parents, William and Susan Milford, both Erskine alumni, when she decided to attend the Due West college, but financing her education has been an uphill battle. She received the Life Scholarship, a South Carolina Tuition Grant and a federal Stafford loan, but that wasn’t enough to pay for her education. “My parents told me not to worry about it, that it would work out somehow,” Milford said. “Since my parents graduated from Erskine, I also received the Child of Alumni Scholarship. Based on my high school grades, I received the Board of Trustees Scholarship. The money situation had definitely worked out well.” But then her mother had to retire from teaching this year because of health problems. “Once again, my family did not know how we would be able to pay all of my tuition,” Milford said. “We left it all up to God, and through the donations made to Erskine, God blessed us. On a needs basis I received the Erskine Grant, the Colonial Life Insurance Company Scholarship, and the Class of 1949 Scholarship this year.” Sophomore Jason Nussbaum, of Apple Creek, Ohio, a Student Life Assistant, echoed many of his fellow students’ sentiments. Nussbaum said he applied for the E.B. Kennedy Scholarship and qualified as a finalist, but was not chosen to receive the scholarship. “I was worried about how much funding I would receive, especially considering the fact that I do not live in South Carolina,” he said. Nussbaum said he was “surprisingly reassured” when he received his first financial aid package that included an academic honors scholarship, an Erskine Towers scholarship, an Erskine out-of-state grant, a federal Stafford loan and a federal work study. Gold Campaign funds will strengthen Erskine's endowed scholarships, allowing the school to provide even more assistance to promising students for years to come. The campaign will run through 2006.