The Athletics Foundation Of Norfolk State University, Inc.
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A Brief Overview
Founded in 1980, the mission of the NSU Athletics Foundation is “to provide funding to the NSU Athletics program that will enable student-athletes to achieve excellence in both academics and athletics. Additionally, the NSUAF will support overall program enhancement including funding for scholarships, facility improvements, equipment, and services that promote a high-quality intercollegiate athletics program.”
Norfolk State University’s proud legacy of achievement in intercollegiate athletics was widely recognized at the NCAA Division II level as a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association (CIAA). NSU was one of the league’s most dominant programs, winning championships in each sport.
In 1997, NSU was admitted into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) – one of only two NCAA Division I conferences composed of historically black colleges and universities. Other conference members include Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Savannah State University and South Carolina State University.
NSU made an immediate impression within the conference in 2001-02 when the Spartans won the Talmadge Hill Award – presented annually to the member institution whose men’s teams compile the most points based on team finishes in conference play. The Spartans have won the Talmadge Hill Award each year from 2005-13. In all, NSU has won conference titles in men’s and women’s basketball, football, men’s and women’s track and cross country, and women’s bowling during its brief tenure in the MEAC.
Why Support Norfolk State University Athletics and the NSU Athletics Foundation?
• NSU competes at the nation’s highest level of intercollegiate athletics – National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I – and is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
• There is a need to increase funding for scholarships for deserving student-athletes motivated by achievement both in athletics and academics.
• Improvements and maintenance of equipment and facilities will enable NSU student-athletes to perform at their full potential.
• A highly-competitive athletics program of the highest quality contributes to increasing University enrollment through the recruitment of talented male and female student-athletes from diverse backgrounds. This is consistent with the institution’s mission “to provide an affordable, high-quality education for an ethnically and culturally diverse student population, equipping them with the capability to become productive citizens who continuously contribute to a global and rapidly changing society.”
• A highly-competitive athletics program is a source of pride, unity and camaraderie while providing an uplifting influence throughout the campus and the community.
• For the intrinsic value of recognizing that as a supporter of NSU Athletics and the NSUAF, you are making a difference in the lives of NSU student-Athletes.
NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS FOUNDATION
Board of Directors
Brenda Betts, Interim President
Fran Steward, Executive Director
Alfred Steward, Treasurer
Marty Miller, Athletics Director
Ashley Avery
Michael K. Brown
*Joyce Daniels
Regina Grimes
Keith Hubbard
Curtis Hurdle
Dr. Sandi Hutchinson
Langston Powell
Cliff Reid
Zackary Rogers
Clarence Lewis
*Merv Pitchford
*Joel Wagner
*John Warren
*Emeritus“The NSU Athletics Foundation provides individuals and groups who really care about NSU Athletics an opportunity to show their Spartan Spirit through a generous gift or as a sponsor. Your contribution will help us ensure the brightest future possible for deserving NSU student-athletes.” -- Fran Steward, President, NSU Athletics Foundation Board of Directors
How to Support NSU Athletics
Your annual gift to the Athletics Foundation of Norfolk State University, Inc. (aka, The NSU Athletics Foundation, NSUAF) is critical to providing supplemental funding for NSU Athletics. Donation and payments by cash, check, money order and major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, and American Express) are accepted directly by the NSUAF. NSU employees can donate or make their payments through the payroll deduction plan. Donations of bequests, trusts, and gifts of appreciated securities are coordinated through the NSU Foundation. All gifts made to the NSUAF support annual operating expenses of 15 intercollegiate sports teams as follows:
• Essential degree-completion support
• Enhanced facilities and practice spaces
• Marketing and promoting the athletics program and various events
• Key strength and conditioning training
• Advanced technologies and equipment
• Funding for travel
• Recruitment and retention of talent student-athletes
• Opportunities for community involvement and leadership development
NSUAF gifts are categorized as unrestricted or restricted.
• Unrestricted gifts are used in areas of the greatest need and for initiatives related to overall program enhancement.
• Restricted gifts are sport/program specific funds that support one of the 15 intercollegiate sports or a specific event, activity or fundraising initiative.
The NSU Athletics Foundation also offers a variety of ways to give that include:
Matching Gifts
Your employer’s matching gift program may include provision for matching contributions to intercollegiate athletics. Check with the human resources or personnel department at your company to find out if your gift can be matched, as well as to obtain the appropriate matching gift form to send along with your contribution. If not, please send in your Matching Gift form so that a representative from the NSU Foundation can request a matching donation from your employer, whose funds will be applied to the NSU General Scholarship Fund.
Gifts-In-Kind
Donating needed goods and services is another way to build the strength of NSU Athletics. Printing services, office supplies, travel services, catering and courtesy cars are among the programs annual needs. All gifts-in-kind must have prior approval of the Executive Director and/or Athletics Director, and will be credited at a market value approved by Norfolk State University.
Bequests And Special Gifts
You can identify NSU Athletics as a beneficiary in your will or establish a life-income trust to create an enduring legacy of giving to NSU Athletics. Bequests, trusts, and gifts of appreciated securities, insurance policies, and real estate may offer you excellent tax advantages as well. These gifts and donations will be processed with the assistance of the NSU Foundation. We welcome an opportunity to discuss these giving options with you.
Student-Athletes Community Outreach
NSU student-athletes have embraced their role as ambassadors for the athletics program and the University. Through the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), student-athletes participate in numerous activities that reinforce NSU Athletics and the University’s connection to the Hampton Roads community. Donation to the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia, reading books to elementary school children to support the “Reading Across America” program and assisting with the St. Mary’s Home for the Disabled’s 5k Walk are only a few of the community outreach projects NSU student-athletes have supported through SAAC.
Community Partnerships
NSU Athletics and the NSUAF take tremendous pride in their relationship with local municipalities, public school districts, civic leagues, non-profit organizations, local and regional businesses and corporations and other organizations that influence the lives of Hampton Roads residents. Included also, are important relationships throughout the campus such as collaborations with NSU alumni, faculty, staff and student organizations. The goal in establishing meaningful partnerships is to create opportunities and initiatives that benefit the Hampton Roads community and Norfolk State University.
What Makes Student-Athletes Special?
For years, collegiate athletes have outperformed the general population making them a truly unique and diverse demographic.
• Over the last 20 years, student-athletes have achieved a higher graduation rate compared to the general population climbing to an all-time high of 77 percent compared to the 61 percent for non-athletes.
• Research has also indicated that a higher percentage of student-athletes than non-athletes have earned a master’s or doctoral degree within six years of their expected completion of college.
• Student athletes have also outperformed the general population in the work force as well. Once student-athletes are done competing in collegiate athletics, they turn their attention to the workforce earning up to a 9 percent average wage premium in business, manual labor, and military careers.
• Your support of NSU student-athletes is an investment in leadership development. Former NSU student-athletes have launched successful careers in a variety of professions. That’s why one of the NSUAF’s major initiatives is to provide funding for fifth-year scholarships. Former NSU student-athletes comprise hundreds of success stories that exemplify the contribution they are making both globally and in their respective communities. They are leaders in business, education, government, and sports and science and technology. Although they have diverse interests, they share a common bond. NSU Athletics provided each of them with an opportunity to realize their dreams of competing in intercollegiate athletics while earning a degree that would prepare them for productive lives after graduation.
Education & Leadership Development
We hope you are committed to making a positive impact on the academic progress of NSU student-athletes. We encourage you to participate in an initiative that focuses on the University’s mission to “provide an affordable, high-quality education to a culturally diverse student population; equipping them with the capability to become productive citizens who continuously contribute to a global and rapidly changing society.” The NSUAF and NSU Athletics are soliciting donations of a minimum of $5,000 annually to the NSU Athletics Foundation’s Fifth-Year Scholarship Fund. Fifth-Year Scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who meet the following criteria:
• Student-athletes who have completed their athletics eligibility and made satisfactory academic progress
• Student-athletes who require an additional academic semester or year to complete degree requirements
