Tim King ’86
As the NCSSM Alumni Association announces an exciting matching challenge to raise funds for college scholarships for new Unicorn alumni, Tim King ’86 shares this reflection on what NCSSM means to him some 35 years after graduating. King is the chair of the Alumni Association Board of Directors Fundraising Committee, and the NCSSM Alumni Scholarship Endowment provides college scholarships to selected graduating seniors.
Tim King ’86, DrPH, MSPH
Chair, Alumni Association Board of Directors Fundraising Committee
Hometown: Goldsboro, NC
When I asked to join the Alumni Association Board of Directors (AABOD) almost five years ago, I wrote the following in my application:
“NCSSM remains the single most enriching, sustained learning environment and experience of my life. Better than college. Better than grad school. It would be my honor to give back to the school and the community that gives so much to me, for me. Plus, it would be fun.”
Thirty-five-plus years on from graduation, I am still keenly aware how Science & Math – the faculty & staff I worked with, the friends I made there (still my best friends) – put me on a path to a much better life. So it is not much of a stretch for me to want to support Science & Math, make the school better for current students, faculty, and staff, as well as improve the lifelong support of our alums.
That is why I am particularly excited about the AABOD’s focus on helping our very newest alums – recent graduates attending college – defray the exorbitant costs of a college education. A big shout out to our recent success with the UNC System Tuition Grant for NCSSM Graduates, in which the state of North Carolina will fund four years of tuition at a System institution, retroactive to the Class of 2021. As fantastic as the tuition grant is, it still leaves a large financial gap for many alums.
Therefore, we have kicked off an effort to greatly enhance the Alumni Scholarships. And I am excited to announce a matching challenge – for every dollar raised for Alumni Scholarships in 2022, I will match it, up to a total of $25,000.
So, please donate here to the Alumni Scholarship Endowment. Students graduate from NCSSM without student debt – our next challenge is to help more alums graduate college debt free.