Office for Philanthropy recognizes many of its donors
by Rashid
When Tim Meacham spoke at the Scholarship Donor Recognition Reception sponsored by Coastal Carolina University’s Office for Philanthropy on April 23, he was quick to point out that his undergraduate experience at CCU changed his life.
“I came to the right place,” said Meacham, a 1979 Coastal graduate who serves as university counsel. “I enrolled in a college that had faculty members like Eddie Dyer, Dan Selwa and Sally Hare. I enrolled in a school that had administrators like Dick Singleton, Paul Stanton, Bob Squatriglia and Ron Lackey. Each one of these individuals made me believe that, at Coastal, you could become whomever you wanted to be. It didn’t matter who you were; it mattered what you did and how you did it.”
Meacham served as president of the Student Government Association and editor of The Chanticleer. He was also elected to Coastal’s chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa honor society and received the outstanding student award in the Department of Politics.
In 2013, he established the Timothy Meacham Endowed Scholarship in Political Science, which is one of the more than 210 active scholarship funds donors have created to support students at Coastal.
“I give because I simply want to show my appreciation for this place that I love and for all that it did for me,” Meacham said. “In the fall, as we welcome a new group of students, some of them won’t have their life plan together. At Coastal, the engaged faculty, the supportive staff and the student-centered culture will transform their lives as it did mine. I can’t think of a better reason to be a donor or a better reason to be a Chanticleer.”
President David A. DeCenzo and Vice President for Philanthropy Mark Roach opened the reception’s program by thanking the donors for their loyal support and dedication to the University. President DeCenzo also acknowledged the students for all they do for Coastal and the excitement they bring to campus.
“We could not do a lot of what we are attempting to do; we could not support our students without the generosity of our donors,” DeCenzo said. “I want to thank you for your gifts and thank you for the opportunity to be here to meet with our students. It’s an exciting time to be on this campus. It’s an exciting time, not for the buildings that are coming up, but for what those buildings represent in helping us to continue to serve our students. Thank you for your participation, and thank you for enabling us to do more for our students.”
One of the many students benefiting from the donors’ generosity is senior Hailey Olson, who shared her challenging yet inspiring story with those in attendance. Her journey includes getting pregnant at age 17, going through a divorce, battling depression and anxiety, and being a single working mother of two teenaged boys. When Olson walks across the commencement stage in December, it will have taken her 19 years to earn her bachelor’s degree, which she began at a technical college.
“When I learned that I had been chosen as the first recipient of the Women in Philanthropy and Leadership Legacy Endowed Scholarship, I was so overjoyed I couldn’t contain myself,” Olson said. “An immense financial burden had been lifted from my shoulders and enabled me to focus more on my studies and my sons. There were not enough words to describe how truly grateful I was for this support.
“Through the principle of pay-it-forward, each of you has learned the secret to living a blessed life; for it is far better to give than to receive. Your example of generosity has inspired me to give back, and as soon as I am able, I will contribute annually toward a scholarship for a deserving student. It’s the very least I can do given the positive impact you have made in my life.”
Following the reception, guests were treated to a concert in Wheelwright Auditorium by POP 101, the acclaimed pop and rock music performing group that features many of the finest singers and instrumentalists in Coastal’s music department.
