Ferguson honored for leadership at VGCC
Eddie Ferguson, director of the Endowment Fund at Vance-Granville Community College, was recently honored with the President’s Leadership Award from Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of the college.
Ferguson’s honor is one of three Glen Raven Excellence in Teaching and Leadership Awards presented to VGCC employees during each academic year. The others, the Faculty Member of the Year and Staff Member of the Year awards, were presented to Kristi Salmons Ellenberg and Kali Brown, respectively, in the fall of 2015. Glen Raven, Inc., the manufacturer with a site in Norlina, is a longtime VGCC partner. The company’s support includes sponsoring the annual stipends to recognize outstanding VGCC instructors and staff members, and endowing many scholarships for students.
Dr. Williams praised Ferguson’s success in building strong relationships with local businesses and industries. “Eddie is a superb representative of Vance-Granville in the community,” the president said. “He leads our efforts to partner with employers and citizens in our four-county area who want to support our students and our region’s economic development.”
She noted that both of the Endowment Fund golf tournaments during Ferguson’s tenure have broken records for fundraising success. With its first-ever corporate presenting sponsor, the 31st annual Endowment Fund Golf Tournament , presented by Oxford-based Union Bank, generated $100,318 in 2015 to help fund scholarships for deserving students and to support the mission of the college. That sum was part of a total of $636,845 raised by the Endowment Fund in 2014-2015.
Under Ferguson’s leadership, several new scholarships have been established, as has a new online system for students to apply for scholarships.
An Oxford resident, Ferguson has been a member of the VGCC staff since 2012, when he was named director of industry services. Less than two years later, he became Endowment director.
Before he joined VGCC as an employee, Ferguson served for many years on the Endowment Fund board of directors. His family foundation began sponsoring VGCC scholarships in 2000.
Ferguson spent many years in the private sector. From 1982 until 1995, Ferguson served as vice-president of Medic Computer Systems, a Raleigh-based medical software company he helped start. In 1995, he founded Hunt Investments, LLC, an investment and real estate development firm based in Oxford. Meanwhile, he has also been active as a volunteer leader in the community, serving on the boards of the Triangle North Healthcare Foundation, Kerr-Vance Academy, Area Christians Together in Service (ACTS), The Ministry Incubator and the Henderson-Vance Economic Partnership, among others. Ferguson served as the founding Chief Volunteer Officer for the local Boys & Girls Clubs organization and helped secure funding for Franklin-Vance-Warren Opportunity’s Women’s Economic Equity Project.
Ferguson graduated from J.F. Webb High School before earning two bachelor’s degrees, in Business Administration and Political Science, from Atlantic Christian College (today known as Barton College).
For more information about the Endowment Fund , call (252) 738-3409.
