To commend Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Tom Stafford for his many years of service with the University, Student Government officers renamed the Wolfpack Student Initiative in his name.
The Stafford Student Leadership Scholarship, as it is now called, will be awarded to one or more students annually based on not only financial need, but also commitment to a student organization.
The Wolfpack Student Initiative was established in 2001 by former Student Body President Harold Pettigrew, and was originally given out to those who demonstrated financial need. Along with the renaming came the refocusing toward those involved in campus organizations, hoping to honor Stafford’s “students first” philosophy.
Stafford has served the student body for 41 years and plans to retire at the end of the semester.
“The Stafford endowment came about shortly after the announcement that Dr. Stafford would be retiring. I spoke with my adviser on what options we had about honor Dr. Stafford and his 41 years of work for students and N.C. State. Upon research, we discovered the Wolfpack Student Initiative, and with talks with [ CSLEPS director] Mike Giancola and some of the former officers who started the scholarship, we began to move forward on renaming it to honor Dr. Stafford,” Buddy Bryson, 2011-2012 student body treasurer, said.
While Student Government officers planned the renaming and refocusing, they kept it a secret from Stafford, planning a surprise announcement.
According to Giancola, the announcement was first planned for his retirement celebration, but got bumped up for timeliness.
Lindsay Skully, 2011-2012 Inter-Residence Council president, agreed to allow Student Government officials to interrupt an IRC Memorial Bell Tower tour to surprise Stafford, who has been conducting such tours for years.
“We wanted to surprise Dr. Stafford with the announcement and telling him on a Bell Tower tour with student leaders was a prefect fit,” Chandler Thompson, 2011-2012 student body president, said. “He is essentially ‘the keeper of the keys’ for the Bell Tower and we were able to tie a couple of his passions together — the Bell Tower, students and N.C. State.”
Wednesday, March 8, students and staff gathered in front of Holladay Hall for what seemed to be a typical Bell Tower tour. While posing for the group photo, Bryson, Thompson and Ethan Harrelson, 2011-2012 student senate president, held up signs reading “Surprise! Stafford Student Leadership Scholarship.”
“[The renaming] means a lot to me personally because I admire the dedication Dr. Stafford has shown to this University. He dedicated his career to improving student life at N.C. State and had a lasting impact on the University and its students,” Thompson said.
Bryson said Stafford is important to him because of his commitment to supporting student organizations.
“I think this means a lot to me personally because I have been in Student Government for three years now, and Dr. Stafford has been at every one of those meetings, most of the time to the very end — no matter how late,” Bryson said. “This just shows his continued dedication to the students of N.C. State, and I felt that we really did need to honor him in a way that reflects that.”
