One woman’s quest to create the most prestigious scholarship at NC State
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- Hodge funded a $1 million endowment with the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands.
- Hodge said she wants the $1M to grow to $2M, then $10M, as a tradition.
- Adaina Smith will receive more than $60,000 for the 2026–2027 year.
Hello, readers! Welcome back to Higher Stakes, your one-stop-shop for higher education news in the Triangle. I’m Jane Winik Sartwell, your host.
This week, we’re looking at why UNC schools removed their Pride month posts, closed-door tenure deliberations at UNC-Chapel Hill, and a switch-up at Duke and UNC’s coastal marine science labs. And much more.
Let’s get into it.
One woman’s quest to create the most prestigious scholarship at NC State
Rashida Hodge grew up in the Caribbean, on an island she says most maps don’t even show — St. Thomas. But in 1998, the ambitious student cobbled together scholarships and got on a plane to Raleigh, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial engineering from North Carolina State University.
Today, the Virgin Islander is a tech executive at Microsoft.
She calls NC State “the best decision [she’s] ever made.”
Hodge has decided to give back to both places that are so essential to her origin story: NC State and the Virgin Islands. She’s funded a $1 million endowment with the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands. The fund will send one to two students from the Virgin Islands to NC State each year. It’s the kind of opportunity Hodge could have only dreamed of when she was in high school.
But Hodge isn’t stopping at just $1 million.
“I want one student to become two students, and two students to become ten students, and ten students to become a tradition,” Hodge told The News & Observer. “I actually want this to be one of the most prestigious scholarships and NC State, and open up a bridge for the next generation of Virgin Islanders.”
She said she wants to dispel the notion that someone must have “extraordinary wealth” to participate in philanthropy.
But above all, Hodge wants kids in the Virgin Islands to realize that they can do anything they dream of, even though “they’re only sitting on 32 square miles of island, and it may seem that opportunities are limited.”
“The lesson isn’t that I’m special,” Hodge said. “The lesson is that possibility is much closer than we think.”
The first-ever recipient of the scholarship is Adaina Smith. She will receive an award totaling more than $60,000 for the 2026–2027 academic year.
“This partnership creates life-changing opportunities for talented students from the Virgin Islands while strengthening the connection between NC State and a community that has produced remarkable leaders like Rashida,” said Brian Sischo, vice chancellor for university advancement at NC State. “We are thrilled to welcome Adaina to the Wolfpack family.”
The inaugural CEO for new accreditor has UNC System ties
An inaugural CEO has officially been selected to run the Commission for Public Higher Education, an accrediting body formed by six public university systems including those of North Carolina and Florida. That would be Cameron Howell, who helped lead the organization’s launch as its board’s senior advisor and secretary.
Howell has ties to the UNC System: from 2017 to 2019, he served as its vice president for strategic initiatives.
At the Commission for Public Higher Education, the organization says Howell has:
- “served as primary author of the Commission’s accreditation standards and evidentiary guidance,
- developed its business plan and public communications strategy,
- helped secure a $1 million federal grant to support CPHE’s development.
- worked closely with the six founding public university systems to advance CPHE‘s mission of strengthening quality assurance, accountability, transparency, and student success.”
The commission plans to apply for federal recognition in late 2027, a process Howell will oversee.
What are NC’s private colleges worth?
$38 billion.
That’s according to a report from the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. The number includes schools like Duke University, High Point University, and Davidson College.
That annual $38 billion economic impact supports 150,000 jobs statewide, $16 billion in labor income, and $5.6 billion in tax revenues, according to the report.
Higher ed headlines from this week
- A gender studies professor was denied a tenured position at UNC-Chapel Hill. New records reveal the reasoning behind the Board of Trustees’ decision.
- The top marine scientist at UNC is leaving his post for a similar one at Duke. Read about the reasoning behind the high-profile switch.
- The UNC System directed campuses to remove posts celebrating Pride month from social media channels. Read my behind-the-scenes reporting on why.
- Do you believe in ghosts? Last weekend, a tour company gave a spooky tour of NC State’s campus.
- Ever wonder how NC’s colleges compare to schools across the globe, in places like New Zealand or Ethiopia or Bangladesh? See where our state’s schools placed in U.S. News’ global rankings.
Thanks for reading. See you back here next week.
— Jane Winik Sartwell
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This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "One woman’s quest to create the most prestigious scholarship at NC State."
