ELON, N.C. – Priscilla Awkard, a 1995 graduate of Elon University and a four-year letterwinner as a member of the Phoenix volleyball program from 1991-94, has made plans that will provide valuable resources to the university in the future.
 
Announced Friday, Awkard recently placed Elon in her estate plan with a generous gift that made Elon the beneficiary of a portion of her IRA and an insurance policy offered through her employer, Coastal Federal Credit Union in Raleigh, N.C. Her gift will support the Elon volleyball program and the Black Alumni Scholarship, which she launched with other alumni in 2007.
 
"I feel honored to give back to Elon," Awkard told the university. "Elon has given me the education to be successful in my job and I feel an obligation to give back to the place that helped develop me into the leader I am today."
 
Awkard – a 2011 inductee to the Elon Athletics Hall of Fame – was a standout on the volleyball team in the early 1990s and helped the program to a 117-29 record during her four years with just five losses in league play, going 30-5 in her career. At the end of her senior season, she held Elon's career records for both assists (3,939) and assists per game (8.6). Both still stand as program records today. Awkard was a three-time all-conference pick and was twice named to the league's all-tournament squad.
 
"I went to school with students who were wondering whether they were going to be able to afford to come back to Elon," Awkard said. "I never had to make that decision because of the scholarships that were available to me. That's why scholarships are so important, because they can make the difference between whether someone stays at Elon or not."
 
For more information about Awkard's gift to Elon, please visit elon.edu or click here to read the full story.