The fall of 2018 was both devastating and challenging for the city of Wilmington and the surrounding areas.

However, all sectors of the Cape Fear community proved resilient in getting our economy back up and running.  As well, our students, faculty and staff returned to campus and began to piece together the remainder of a semester marked by the loss of almost a month of class days and significant campus damage. 

I want to commend all of you in our community for your great ability to work together!

Speaking of partnerships, the Cameron School of Business (CSB) strives to work synergistically with the businesses and alumni in our region. Cameron’s students have much to offer, and it has become abundantly clear through the investment of time and resources that the business community believes Cameron graduates add value to their workplaces.

Thank you to those businesses in our community who continue to invest in our students on an annual basis. Your participation in our work of educating students is much appreciated.

The Cameron School has given flight to excellence and has been recognized in recent top rankings of our undergraduate education and our graduate programs. This could not have happened without the many, many gifts of time, talent and treasure from our business community and our alumni base. 

Your investments have come in all forms. David Congdon, our alumnus and a fixture in the business community at Old Dominion Freight Line, has contributed a $10 million gift to advance our programs in supply chain, business analytics and information systems. Elwood and Mary Walker, with substantial lifetime gifts to Cameron, have named the auditorium in Cameron Hall. 

Others have provided the use of physical resources by hosting classes and student residency sessions in corporate offices. Still others give regularly of their time by serving as guest lecturers in classes and presenters during special events such as WITX and Business Week.

The list is extensive and also includes:

• Scholarship support
• Internships and placement opportunities for our students
• Financial support through event sponsorship
• Support for faculty research
• Student mentorship through the Cameron Executive Network
• Applied learning projects that benefit our students and your businesses