ELON - Elon University said it will use a new gift to expand its signature scholarship program for low-income students.
The contribution, announced Thursday, will create four new endowed scholarships in Elon's Odyssey Program. Elon did not disclose the amount of the estate gift from the late Edna and Doug Noiles.
These four new scholarships will be awarded for the first time in fall 2020. Preference will go to students who live in the Morgan Place community next to the Elon campus.
The Noiles estate in 2017 set up six other Odyssey Program scholarships whose preferred recipients are Alamance County students who have completed the Elon Academy, the university's college access program for promising local high school students. Thursday's announcement brings the number of "Edna Scholars" to 10 at Elon.
Edna and Doug Noiles are long-time supporters of Elon. Edna Noiles, an Alamance County native, graduated from Elon College in 1944 and worked as a marriage and family therapist. Doug Noiles developed medical and orthopedic devices.
The couple, who lived in Connecticut, helped establish Elon Academy as well as Elon's campus interfaith center. The university presented the Elon Medallion, its top honor, to Edna Noiles in 2016, a year before her death. Doug Noiles died in 2016.
Odyssey Program scholarships - many are annual awards of $22,500 - are given to talented Elon students with high financial need. Many are the first in their families to attend college. Elon says its Odyssey scholars usually rank among its top students.
The gift from the Noiles estate will be counted toward Elon's capital campaign. That fundraising effort for student scholarships, faculty support, academic programs and campus improvements will be formally announced Friday afternoon.
Contact John Newsom at (336) 373-7312 and follow @JohnNewsomNR on Twitter.