Carrie Conway, Senior Program Officer at the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, recently visited Chowan University for the first time in the 45-year history of the partnership.

The Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation’s work includes supporting more than 200 educational institutions across the south with scholarship assistance for women. The foundation has been active since 1945 and grants scholarships to accredited institutions among nine states. Chowan has been a recipient since the early 1970’s.

For more than 45 years the foundation has contributed in excess of 2.7 million dollars to the Chowan University Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation Scholarship, impacting the academic experience of 210 students in the past five years alone. Fifty-three students are currently progressing through the program in good academic standing, 17 of whom are scheduled to graduate this weekend.

During Conway’s visit to campus she had lunch with current scholarship recipients and University representatives. Junior scholarship recipient Amber Smaltz stated, “The Lettie Pate Whitehead scholarship has given me the opportunity to pursue higher education without the stress of financial obligation. Without it, I would not have discovered my passion for biology, more specifically neuroscience, nor would I have found a home and a second family at Chowan University."

While visiting, Conway said, “Chowan clearly has a passionate and committed leadership team, and I was very impressed with the students. They are wonderful ambassadors for the University! The Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation knows Chowan plays a vital role in the region and we are pleased to support this important work."

Lettie Pate Whitehead was one of the first women to serve on the board of directors of a major American corporation (the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company) when she took over her husband’s business after his passing. She was only 34 years old. The foundation and scholarships, created by Conkey Pate Whitehead as a memorial to his mother, honor her legacy by supporting higher education of female students.