Alumni Association Creates Thoroughgood Scholarships

Old Dominion University recently announced the creation of a new $1.4 million endowment to fund the Alumni Association Adam Thoroughgood Scholars program. The four-year, merit-based scholarships will include room and board, a personal computer, tuition, books and study abroad opportunities.

To qualify, applicants must have an SAT score of 1450 or equivalent ACT score, a 3.8 grade point average, proficiency in a second language and proven leadership in extracurricular activities. As part of the application process, candidates must write a personal statement or cite a quote that best represents them.

The first scholarship will be awarded in fall 2007.

The scholarships are named for Virginia colonist Adam Thoroughgood, an indentured servant who became wealthy through tobacco farming and who served as a symbol for upward mobility in early American society. His house in Virginia Beach, built around 1680, is considered one of the oldest brick homes in the country.

Elizabeth Taraski, ODU associate vice president for alumni and development, believes the scholarships will attract top-level students from across the country. “Students of that caliber will bring a different approach, enriching and enhancing the educational experiences for all students in the classroom,” she said.

Lauren Conner, immediate past president of the ODU Alumni Association, noted, “While the association has sponsored student scholarships for many years, we felt it was time to raise the level of our support.”

Scholarship winners will serve as student representatives to the Alumni Association, which Conner believes will provide them with tangible leadership experience.

Funding for the Thoroughgood Scholarships comes from a variety of organizations. In May, the Alumni Association voted to allocate its existing scholarship endowment of $97,000 for the creation of the new scholarship program. Additionally, the association transferred $200,000 from its Alumni Center Endowment, which had been established to help fund the Barry M. Kornblau Alumni Center.

The university’s Educational Foundation contributed $1 million to the endowment, and ODU President Roseann Runte donated $100,000 from her existing scholarship.

According to Conner, the Alumni Association intends to remain an active participant in raising funds for the Thoroughgood Scholarships. The first event scheduled to benefit the endowment is the association’s annual golf tournament next April.