{"id":14231,"date":"2024-07-02T21:00:28","date_gmt":"2024-07-02T21:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/up.uscupstate.edu\/archive\/spring2024\/?page_id=14231"},"modified":"2024-07-02T21:00:28","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T21:00:28","slug":"usc-upstate-donors-invest-in-students-future","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/up.uscupstate.edu\/archive\/spring2024\/usc-upstate-donors-invest-in-students-future\/","title":{"rendered":"USC Upstate Donors Invest in Students’ Future"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For many USC Upstate students, financial support is critical to their ability to stay in school and complete their degrees. Four recent endowments seek to provide that funding. Whether alums or longtime friends of USC Upstate, these donors know what a difference it makes to receive help when you need it most. Their commitment will benefit students -- and their families -- for years to come.<\/p>\n

Profiles by Susan Grotenhuis<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

TODD AND STEPHANIE HORNE ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND<\/h3>\n
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Todd Horne \u201805 and Stephanie Horne \u201806<\/em><\/p>\n

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Todd and Stephanie Horne with their children Holton and Harper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Todd and Stephanie Horne visit the beautiful USC Upstate campus with their two young children, Harper and Holton, they feel immensely proud of their university. Originally planning to leave after their freshman year, they\u2019re both grateful they chose to remain at Upstate.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, this gave us our education, our foundation. It brought us together as a couple and we are very indebted for that,\u201d says Todd Horne. \u201cWe owe a lot to this university, which is why we\u2019ve decided to endow the scholarship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Horne, president of Clayton Construction Co., has been active in many Spartanburg and USC Upstate organizations, including OneSpartanburg, the Spartanburg County Commission for Higher Education, and the USC Upstate Foundation board. \u201cIt\u2019s a great time to be in Spartanburg and a great time to be part of the Upstate,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Stephanie Horne, an elementary school teacher at Spartanburg Christian Academy, shares her husband\u2019s commitment to giving back. \u201cPaying it forward where there is a need is something we are passionate about,\u201d she says. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to hold back or hinder anyone who may continue to move forward in their career or their education and be a future leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adds Todd Horne, \u201cI know for a fact that this community wants to make sure that everybody gets an opportunity for an education who wants one.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scholarship will be awarded to students who meet the eligibility criteria for need-based financial aid.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

J. ROBERT AND DORIS ANN MAUNEY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND<\/h3>\n
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Doris Ann Mauney, \u201875<\/em><\/p>\n

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Doris Ann and Bob Mauney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1973, when Doris Ann Mauney enrolled in the nursing program at USC Upstate (then USC Spartanburg), a three-year associate\u2019s degree was all that was offered. And there were only two buildings on campus. Mauney recalls, \u201cThe Hodge Center was brand-new. I was the first nursing class to be in the Hodge Center.\u201d<\/p>\n

While much has changed since then, the need for student aid has not. \u201cI was given scholarships to come to nursing school, and I would really like to give back,\u201d Mauney says. \u201cIf students are going into nursing, it\u2019s almost like a calling to go into health care.\u201d\u00a0 She and her husband, Bob, a wealth management consultant for Merrill Lynch, talked it over and decided to split their gift between their respective alma maters, USC Upstate and Clemson. The gift has additional meaning because their oldest daughter is also a USC Upstate alum.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very impressed with how far (the program) has come. They even have the doctorate program now,\u201d Mauney says. Her husband adds, \u201cWe were also really impressed that there were about a thousand nursing students at the present time, which is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scholarship will be awarded to students majoring in nursing.\u00a0 Preference will be given to a Spartanburg County resident.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

VICTOR AND JACQUELYN AUSTIN ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND<\/h3>\n
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Victor Austin, \u201890 <\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"Victor Austin\u2019s commitment to support USC Upstate began on a summer\u2019s day when he was finishing his bachelor\u2019s degree. \u201cI remember walking across the quad as a student and I said to myself, \u2018This university has been so good to me.\u2019 In the future, I just made a promise that I would always try to do whatever I could to help the university.\u201d<\/p>\n

Austin, president and CEO of Palmetto Home Care Upstate, has been faithful to that promise, considering it a call from God to give back. He began by giving his time and serving on boards: first the Alumni Association, then the Foundation Board, and now the Spartanburg County Commission for Higher Education.<\/p>\n

Aware that universities need funding in all areas, Austin first donated to the Spartans basketball program and increased his support from there. He\u2019s motivated by recalling how fortunate he was as a student to have people behind him, pulling for him to succeed. By starting an endowment, he hopes to help students who are trying to help themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis endowment could be a determining factor for why someone stays in school,\u201d Austin says. Quoting his godmother, he adds, \u201cSometimes the wagon just needs a little help getting up the hill.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scholarship(s) will be awarded to students who meet the eligibility criteria for Aspire Scholarships. Additionally, the support fund will benefit student programming that helps students achieve success.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

TONEY AND CYNTHIA LISTER ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND<\/h3>\n
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\"\"Toney Lister\u2019s association with USC Upstate began before there was even a campus. As a Boiling Springs teenager, Lister would regularly drive to the Smith Dairy Farm and nearby peach orchards, land the university now occupies.<\/p>\n

Roughly five years after the University was founded, Lister was elected to the South Carolina General Assembly. \u201cI remember older politicians going before the Ways and Means Committee in Columbia, seeking money for this campus,\u201d he recalls. \u201cAnd I learned how to beg from them as a member of the General Assembly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lister has repeatedly demonstrated his commitment to Upstate\u2019s mission. \u201cI was on the board of trustees for 29 years, so it was natural that USC Upstate was a part of my life from the beginning,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Having practiced law for 40 years, Lister also is aware of the benefits an education provides. He remembers that when he was a student, he had to rely on a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, family and jobs to get him through. \u201cI\u2019m very sympathetic to local students who are needing a little financial aid,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

But the endowment reflects an even deeper commitment to the institution itself. \u201cYou actually have the campus become a part of your life if you stay involved,\u201d Lister says. \u201cIt\u2019s the personal involvement associated with this campus, and the pleasure that it has provided over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

His wife, Cynthia, agrees, adding, \u201cThe local people got this university started, so there was a real buy-in from the community. This was local people seeing a need, which is a lot of the connection.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scholarship(s) will be awarded to students who meet the eligibility criteria for need-based financial aid.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For many USC Upstate students, financial support is critical to their ability to stay in school and complete their degrees. Four recent endowments seek to provide that funding. Whether alums or longtime friends of USC Upstate, these donors know what a difference it makes to receive help when you need it most. Their commitment will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14231","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/up.uscupstate.edu\/archive\/spring2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/up.uscupstate.edu\/archive\/spring2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/up.uscupstate.edu\/archive\/spring2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/up.uscupstate.edu\/archive\/spring2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/up.uscupstate.edu\/archive\/spring2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/up.uscupstate.edu\/archive\/spring2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14231\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/up.uscupstate.edu\/archive\/spring2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}