2024 DSU Scholarship Ball – article and photos
Delaware State University is celebrating another successful multi-million-dollar Scholarship Ball, with a net $4 million raised. The 2024 Scholarship Ball, held at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, attracted 1,200 attendees, including 100 University students, making it the largest event in Delaware. In addition to hearing about the University’s impact, attendees were entertained by Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer Eric Roberson and three-time Grammy award winner, renowned violinist Damien Escobar.
For images from the Scholarship Ball, click on the below link:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/48216028@N03/albums/72177720322587385/
Highlights included:
University President Tony Allen presented Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE) and his wife Martha with the University’s inaugural UBUNTU Legacy Award. UBUNTU is Swahili for “You Are Because We Are.”
Senator Carper is retiring from Congress after 47 years of elective service as the State Treasurer and Governor of Delaware. The award recognizes the Carper family for their long-term commitment to the University, which included signing 1993 legislation as Governor to elevate the institution to university status.
“Martha and I are humbled to receive this award from Delaware State University,” said U.S. Senator Tom Carper. “It has been an honor to serve the people of Delaware for all of these years, and it has been especially meaningful to help support Delaware State University and its students, faculty, and staff. It is a fine research institution that continues to deliver talent into our workforce and serve as an economic driver for the First State. Even though I am retiring from the Senate, I will never stop serving others, and that includes the wonderful people at DSU. Hornets Rising!”
Agilent Technologies, a global leader in analytical and clinical laboratory technologies, received the University’s Corporate Partner Award. Agilent has donated and committed almost $9 million in financial and in-kind gifts to the University since 2022 and currently supports 32 Agilent on full scholarships at the University. Dr. Allen announced that the new science building set to open in the Spring of 2025 will bear the name the “Agilent College of Agriculture, Science and Technology Research Center.”
“Agilent is honored to receive the Corporate Partner of the Year award. ‘Partner’ is the key word. While Agilent has donated significant amounts of money, instrumentation, consumables, and service, we have also given our hearts,” said Sally Frank, Manager of Agilent Philanthropic Program. “Hundreds of employees have volunteered mentoring, training, and developing relationships with students and professors. Likewise, DSU professors have leveraged Agilent’s assets to ensure that their students are maximizing the benefits that a relationship with Agilent can offer. Meeting frequently to discuss student progress and DSU’s institutional needs, we have formed a partnership with one simple aim: maximize and optimize opportunities for underrepresented students to pursue meaningful and lucrative careers in STEM.”
The University presented Barclays with its Community Partner Award. Barclays has engaged with the University’s students for over a decade, offering internships, mentoring, and conducting development events on campus.
Dr. Vita Pickrum, Vice President of University Advancement who will retire at the end of 2024, was named President Emeritus of the DSU Foundation in recognition of her fundraising success and her leadership in establishing the annual and well-attended HBCU Philanthropy Symposium.
Ukee Washington, a CBS3 co-anchor who served as the Ball’s emcee, received the University Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his career in broadcast news. Mr. Washington is the son of the late Dr. Ulysses S. Washington, the longtime head of the University’s academic program in Agriculture. The University named Kevin Perry, DSU Class of 2018, as its 2025 Alumni of the Year. From 2017 to 2018, Mr. DSU has been a senior associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Since his graduation, Mr. Perry has frequently prioritized returning to his alma mater to share his professional experience with DSU students and participate in events such as the College of Business’ annual DEEP Day.
One Hundred DSU students, including numerous Exelon and Agilent scholars, participated in the Scholar Ball. Yasmeen Olass, a senior Biochemistry major, introduced Agilent Technologies as Corporate Partner of the Year.
“Participating in the DSU Scholarship Ball means so much to me and countless other students who rely on these scholarships to pursue our dreams and build a brighter future,” Ms. Olass said. “This event not only highlights the transformative power of education but also reminds us that we are supported by a community that believes in our potential.”
To view a DSU video that was shown at the Scholarship Ball, click on the below link: