Longtime ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ Supporters Establish Scholarship for Entrepreneurs

KENNESAW, Ga. | Nov 6, 2020

Doug and Robin Shore have developed a close relationship with ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ State through two decades of supporting the University, including funding several scholarships, serving on advisory boards, visiting ²έΑρΚΣơ’s educational site in Italy and attending countless on-campus events. Their latest gift will support a group near and dear to Doug, the next generation of entrepreneurs.

The Shores have committed $50,000 to establish the Doug Shore Endowed Scholarship, to be awarded to ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ Journey Honors College students who are majoring or minoring in entrepreneurship. Their contribution will grow to $125,000 through the 150 percent endowment matching program established earlier this year by the ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ State University Foundation and the Shores’ close friends, John and Rosemary Brown.

Robin and Doug Shore have established the Doug Shore Endowed Scholarship for Honors Students in ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ State University's Entrepreneurship program

β€œIt’s nice to see that the connections you make create other connections, and that grows and branches off to more people getting involved and contributing to ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅,” said Doug, a ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ Foundation trustee. β€œLeveraging our gift with John and Rosemary Brown’s tremendous matching gift provides additional funds to help students who are involved in entrepreneurship, which I think is a great way to show students that they have opportunities to create their own future.”

The Shores had no previous connection to ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ State prior to Doug being asked to join the Coles College of Business advisory board in 1999. From that point on, Doug and Robin became increasingly involved with the University, largely due to always feeling welcome at ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ and being impressed whenever they interacted with students, faculty, staff, administrators or fellow supporters.

β€œFor me, the people are what make ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ so special,” Robin said. β€œEvery time we would leave an event on campus, I would say to Doug, β€˜Those people are so impressive. Everyone is enthusiastic about this school.’ That was enlivening to me.”

The Shores became frequent donors to ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ State, including a major financial gift in 2016 that established the Robin and Doug Shore Entrepreneurship Center in the Michael J. Coles College of Business. The Shores’ latest scholarship endowment can assist students not only in the Coles College, which houses the entrepreneurship major, but also undergraduates from other academic colleges who are minoring in entrepreneurship and enrolled in ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ Journey Honors College.

Doug was the co-founder of Shore-Varrone, Inc., a business-to-business media company that he grew from one publication and one trade show to 11 magazine titles, seven trade shows and a variety of conferences and online businesses before selling the company. He considers entrepreneurship an even more viable pursuit these days, when job opportunities are declining in some traditional career fields.

β€œStudents see that there are all kinds of new horizons out there, especially for so many of our students who are the first in their family to attend college,” said Doug, himself a first-generation college graduate. β€œYou can create your own business around your skills, plus the business skills that you can learn in entrepreneurship.”

The Shores’ contributions include several other scholarships for ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ State students, including the Joseph Shore Scholarship to assist sales and marketing students and the Beverly F. Shore Endowed Scholarship for aerospace engineering majors. Robin, who studied abroad in Germany when she was in college, established the Robin Schmidt Shore Scholarship for Great Books cohort students studying at ²έΑρΚΣơ’s educational site in Montepulciano, Italy, and later created another scholarship for Honors students to study abroad, the Howard Shealy Endowed Fund for Honors College study abroad.

In fact, of the many events Doug and Robin attend at ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ State, their favorite is the scholarship luncheon hosted by the Office of University Development. The annual program is an opportunity for students to connect with the donors who funded their scholarships.

β€œThe first recipient of the Robin Schmidt Shore Scholarship was an Honors student who was working three jobs,” Robin said. β€œThat’s really deserving.”

Honors students are near and dear to Robin, a founding member of the ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ Journey Honors College advisory council and the most recent advisory council chair, effective January 1, 2021. Robin in turn asked her friend Rosemary Brown to serve on the Honors advisory council and, just like the Shores, the Browns were impressed by what they saw ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ State students and faculty accomplishing.

That led to John and Rosemary Brown establishing a $10 million endowment matching fund for scholarships for students in ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ Journey Honors College. While not everyone is able to give at the same level as the Browns, Doug and Robin hope that their efforts might inspire other people to support ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ State.

β€œI’d be happy to introduce people to students and faculty and administrators at ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅, and show them what’s going on in ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ and Marietta,” Doug said. β€œThat’s where the ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ is, and that’s how you build an attachment to the University.”

β€” Paul Floeckher

Photos by David Caselli

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