By L.D. Willis
This fall, two students will enroll at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) on full-tuition scholarships, thanks to a $500,000 contribution to the university from Yardi Systems, a Santa Barbara, California-based company that focuses on investment and property management software for real estate companies.
The Yardi Scholars program will also add a new student to NCCU’s classes of 2023, 2024 and 2025, bringing the total number of scholars to five who will be funded by the company’s half a million-dollar gift.
North Carolina Central University is one of four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) at which Yardi has established scholarships. The others are Morehouse College, Spelman College and Shaw University.
The scholarships continue Yardi System’s longstanding focus on education.
“Expanding our commitment to continuing education by funding full scholarships at HBCUs is incredibly important to the company,” said Liana Rao, who handles philanthropic leads for the company. “These scholarships exemplify our corporate commitment to diversity and inclusion at Yardi. We hire talented folks from all four of these schools and are excited to expand our partnership with each university.”
Jackie Jones, a 1995 NCCU graduate and senior human resources manager in Yardi’s Raleigh office, was part of a working group that identified the best institutions to fund and the scope of the scholarships.
In a company blog announcing the scholarships, Jones discussed the profound impact NCCU had on her, noting that her experience was “nurturing but provided lessons at every turn.”
She added: “Yardi Scholars can begin their matriculation at North Carolina Central University unencumbered by financial worries, which will allow them to focus on their studies. These students will also graduate secure in the knowledge that college debt will not be a concern as they continue, financially stable, to seek advanced degrees or begin their careers.”
Gia Soublet, Ph.D., NCCU’s vice chancellor for institutional advancement, said the institution is immeasurably grateful to Yardi Systems for their gift, which will be life-changing for five students and their families.
“Yardi’s investment in North Carolina Central University will have a profound impact on the students who receive the scholarships,” Soublet said. “For a global company to choose to invest in education in this manner is tremendous. We are ecstatic over our newly-formed partnership with Yardi Systems and are confident NCCU’s Yardi Scholars will make us and their benefactor proud.”
According to NCCU Provost David H. Jackson Jr., Ph.D., university leaders are grateful to Yardi for their support and hope it encourages other corporations to follow suit.
“At North Carolina Central University, we offer an excellent academic curriculum, which is composed of undergraduate programs in nearly 100 fields and graduate studies in more than 40 disciplines,” said Jackson. “Yardi’s generosity will help us continually deliver the Eagle Promise to ensure that our students graduate on time with stellar leadership skills, global engagement opportunities and fulltime employment in their field of choice or entry into a graduate or professional program.”
NCCU Yardi Scholars are among the institution’s best and brightest. Plans are underway for Yardi CEO Anant Yardi and other executives to meet NCCU’s inaugural Yardi Scholars this fall, Soublet added.
