$100,000 gift helps bridge the gap at WSSU

A $100,000 gift is helping Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) students stay on track and graduate.

A Winston-Salem couple have established the Dr. Paul and Marcia Meis Graduation Scholars Fund, which will provide $2,000 scholarships for 40 high-achieving juniors and seniors over the next three years.  

For fall semester, 13 WSSU students received scholarships through the fund.

“We thank Dr. Paul and Marcia Meis for their support of Winston-Salem State University students,” said Dr. LaTanya Afolayan, vice chancellor for University Advancement. “Through their generous gift, we are able to support high-achieving and deserving students and help them complete their college education.”

The awards are part of WSSU’s gap scholarship fund, which is administered through the WSSU Foundation and the Office of Financial Aid. Financial aid staff work, in partnership with academic success counselors and faculty advisors, identify students who are in need. The fund also has received support from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust and AT&T.

Over the past three years, WSSU has provided 167 students with gap funding scholarships and 165 have graduated.

Paul Meis is an obstetrician-gynecologist and professor emeritus of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal Fetal Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

“I’ve lived and worked in this community for 40 years,” Paul Meis said during a recent luncheon with scholarship recipients. “I wanted to give back to this community. I thought about where could I make the most impact, and I thought Winston-Salem State, this fine institution with a tremendous history of success.”

Marcia Meis, a retired audiologist, said establishing the scholarship was important to her as a first-generation college graduate: “I want to bring more visibility to the community and to this part of the state.” 

The Meises also have established an endowed scholarship through the WSSU Foundation and are supporters of WSNC 90.5, WSSU’s on-campus station.

About the WSSU Foundation
Founded in 1970, the Winston-Salem State University Foundation Inc. is private, non-profit organization that focuses on the long-term needs of the university and enhances the efficiency of its fundraising efforts. For more information, please visit the WSSU Foundation website.

About Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem State University fosters the creative thinking, analytical problem-solving, and depth of character needed to transform the world. Rooted in liberal education, WSSU’s curriculum prepares students to be thought leaders who have the skills and knowledge needed to develop innovative solutions to complex problems. Founded in 1892, WSSU is a historically Black constituent institution of the University of North Carolina with a rich tradition of contributing to the social, cultural, intellectual, and economic growth of North Carolina, the region and beyond. Guided by the motto, “Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve,” WSSU develops leaders who advance social justice by serving the world with compassion and commitment.