The Zeta Beta Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., in Fayetteville presented Fayetteville State University (FSU) with a check for $25,000 recently. The donation was made in support of The Campaign for Fayetteville State University: From a Proud Legacy to a 21st Century University. The campaign seeks to raise $25 million for the following:
• $13 million for student scholarships
• $1 million for scholar athletes
• $3 million for faculty and staff development
• $3 million for student enrichment and global enhancement
• $2 million for military and veteran partnerships
• $3 million for the FSU Center for Defense and Homeland Security
The check, to be used for scholarships for FSU students, was presented to Chancellor James Anderson by Jonathan Mason, the international president of Phi Beta Sigma at the fraternity’s Founders’ Day celebration held January 16, 2016, at Marquis Market in downtown Fayetteville. The donation was made possible by graduates of the Pi Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma at FSU and members of Zeta Beta Sigma Graduate Chapter.
“I am extremely appreciative of Phi Beta Sigma for making this commitment to Fayetteville State University and our students,” said Chancellor Anderson. “Since I arrived at FSU, the Sigmas have continuously supported the institution through the donation of scholarship dollars to assist needy students. I applaud and thank them for their continued commitment to the university.”
Said Mason: “I am the product of an HBCU like many of my Sigma brothers, and we are committed to assisting with scholarship support. I applaud the brothers of the Zeta Beta Sigma Chapter.”
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C., January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The Founders, Honorable A. Langston Taylor, Honorable Leonard F. Morse, and Honorable Charles I. Brown, wanted to organize a Greek letter fraternity that would truly exemplify the ideals of brotherhood, scholarship, and service.
From its inception, the Founders also conceived Phi Beta Sigma as a mechanism to deliver services to the general community. Rather than gaining skills to be utilized exclusively for themselves and their immediate families, they held a deep conviction that they should return their newly acquired skills to the communities from which they had come. This deep conviction was mirrored in the Fraternity’s motto, “Culture For Service and Service For Humanity.”
FSU is a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina and the second-oldest public institution of higher education in the state. FSU offers nearly 60 degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. With more than 6,100 students, Fayetteville State University is among the most diverse institutions in the nation.
