The School of Architecture (SoA) recently renamed the newly renovated Storrs Lecture Hall, the Jack and Vada Boardman Auditorium, in recognition of the Boardman family’s generous funding of student scholarships. A public dedication ceremony took place Friday, Jan. 10.
The Boardman Architecture Scholarship fund was launched in 1990, when Jack Boardman made an initial gift of $8,000 to the University. He and his wife, Vada, continued to donate to the fund throughout their lives, and their son, Ray, and his wife, Mary, have maintained the family’s commitment. The endowment is now more than $1 million and has provided for 154 awards over three decades, with individual scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $2,500.
“Everything about the School of Architecture is so impressive,” said Ray Boardman following the dedication ceremony. “It is wonderful to see in person the passion that the administration, faculty, students and alumni all have for the school. The Boardman family feels privileged to be a small part of the great things that are happening now, and we look forward to watching an even more exciting future.”
This academic year, the SoA has been able to grant the first four-year full tuition and fees Boardman Architecture Scholarship, awarded to freshman Vuk Petrovik, who came to UNC Charlotte from the Northwest School of the Arts.
“The Boardman family has embraced the true meaning of philanthropy, directly supporting students in our School of Architecture, who will then work in the design profession improving our community,” said Ken Lambla, professor of architecture and former dean of the College of Arts + Architecture. “The Boardman Scholarship is the first full tuition and fees undergraduate scholarship in the College of Arts + Architecture, and it is a great honor to be able to recognize their generosity by naming in perpetuity a part of our building used by the full university community.”
At the Jan. 10 dedication, the Boardman family was joined by Petrovik as well as current Boardman scholar Jonathan Amari and alumni Zack Alsentzer, Michael Dunning, Jeremy Fisher, Elizabeth Ratner and Carlos Martinez, all past Boardman Architecture Scholarship recipients.