Dr. Lateef Y. Saffore, ’96 and Dr. S.Y. Aranmolate-Saffore, ‘99 established an endowed scholarship that provides an annual award to a qualifying freshman or transfer student at West Virginia State University. The Dr. Lateef Y. Saffore and Dr. S.Y. Aranmolate-Saffore Endowed Scholarship combined with other scholarships, goes a long way in ensuring the college experience becomes a reality for many socio-economically challenged families.

West Virginia Cabinet Secretary of Commerce, Ed Gaunch, ‘70 established a DAF (Donor Advised Fund), from which he recommends grant support the WVSU Foundation. The benefits are two fold – the foundation receives the gift to support students and ongoing university programs and the investment allocation of the donated assets on any investment growth is tax free for the donor as well as their receiving a charitable deduction.

Fred D. Thomas Jr., ‘50 graduated from West Virginia State College with a bachelor's degree in biology. After earning a graduate degree in education, he went on to serve as a middle school science teacher and curriculum coordinator for 35 years.

As a way to give back to his alma mater, Fred made a planned gift commitment to establish a learning center that bears his name. Fred's generosity will help ensure that future generations of Yellow Jackets studying to be teachers have access to the latest high-tech tools while learning to lead the nation's classrooms.