Scholarships help others succeed
Community leader establishes two scholarships for continued public service
If students want to advance in either the business or the private sector, earning a master’s degree is key, said community leader and Dominion executive Eva Teig Hardy, who ranked No. 52 on Style Weekly’s 2007 “Power List.”
That’s why in June 2007, Hardy made gifts to Virginia Commonwealth University to endow two renewable scholarships.
The first scholarship is available for a student seeking a Master of Public Administration degree through the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs in the College of Humanities and Sciences. The second is available for a student seeking a Master of Business Administration degree through the School of Business.
Hardy chose to endow these scholarships, she said, because of her own successes in the public and private sectors.
“I think there’s never enough state funding, and it has to be augmented by private, philanthropic donations,” she said. “I think that if you really want a school to achieve, you have to help as much as you can, either through volunteering on a board, giving your own personal dollars for scholarships or both.”
Hardy exemplifies the role of a community leader, said Robert D. Holsworth, Ph.D., dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences, because of her dedication to the welfare of Virginia and its citizens.
“As a local government leader, as a [state] Cabinet secretary and as an in-formal adviser to dozens of leaders, she has worked tirelessly to make Virginia a better place,” Holsworth said.
Hardy, executive vice president of External Affairs and Corporate Communications at Dominion, spent 17 years in the public sector, first as an urban planner in Portsmouth, Va., and then serving as secretary of health and human services during the administration of Gov. Gerald L. Baliles.
Hardy’s relationship with VCU dates back more than 15 years. She served on VCU’s Board of Visitors and the School of Engineering Foundation board during the ’90s — a decade marked by VCU’s expansion and the university’s revitalization of Broad Street. She is also a founding trustee for the School of Business Foundation Board of Trustees.
“Being on the board gives you a very good perspective on what’s going on in the university down to the level of detail. I was very proud to be on the board when plans for the [university’s] expansions were being made,” Hardy said. “My work with the business school foundation … and getting to know some of the professors, like Dr. Holsworth, have really given me a personal involvement.”
Hardy is an exemplary role model for VCU students, Holsworth said, because of her practical know-how, intelligence and compassion.
“Ms. Hardy has also served as a mentor to hundreds of young individuals making their way in both the public and the private sector. She has long been a model for how citizens can contribute to the welfare of their communities,” Holsworth said. “The Wilder School and the College of Humanities and Sciences are honored to have her support and will work to educate students who exhibit the knowledge and the values exemplified by Eva Teig Hardy.”
For more information about how to donate, contact Douglas Knapp, School of Business director of development and alumni affairs, at dgknapp@vcu.edu, or Lois Badey, director of development for the College of Humanities and Sciences, at labadey@vcu.edu.
– Rebecca Landau is a contributing writer for “The Power of Personal Philanthropy”