Published December 9, 2022
CAPTION: Pictured L-R: Christie Echols, Michael Echols, Dr. Michelle McEacharn, Dr.
Ronald Berry
MONROE, LA – The University of Louisiana Monroe Foundation recently celebrated a donation from
Louisiana State Representative Michael Echols to create The Michael C. Echols Superior
Graduate Scholarship Endowment. The $100,000 endowment will provide financial support
to a ULM student pursuing their Master’s in Business Administration (MBA.)
Echols, a two-time alumnus of ULM including an MBA, said it has always been a goal
of his to give back to the university that gave him so much. “I’m hopeful this gift
will provide opportunity for those working towards a professional degree to make getting
the degree more affordable, to retain and attract more highly trained individuals
in our region, and to support students in need,” he said.
ULM President Dr. Ronald Berry thanked Echols for the gift. “It’s an honor to receive
a gift from someone who already gives so much of themselves personally and in their
professional life and is committed to changing not only our local community, but the
state. We appreciate you not only helping us live our mission of changing students’
lives, but what you do for our state is tremendous,” said Berry.
Dr. Michelle McEacharn, Dean of the College of Business and Social Sciences also thanked
Echols, saying, “I don’t think a lot of people understand that when we have donors
make these kinds of contributions to us, that these are in perpetuity. This gift will
impact lives forever.”
To meet the requirements to receive the new scholarship, students must be pursuing
an MBA at ULM and must also have obtained a bachelor's degree from ULM in accounting,
finance, management, business administration, or marketing, while maintaining a 3.0-3.75
undergraduate GPA. The recipients of the scholarship must also be involved on campus
and in the community.
The first recipient of the Michael C. Echols Superior Scholarship Endowment is Samrat
Dhakal, an MBA graduate student from Nepal. Dhakal said he couldn’t believe the news
when he was awarded the scholarship. In a thank you note to Echols, Dhakal said “This
means a great deal to me and my future. Receiving financial assistance for graduate
school is like getting a fresh lease on life. My ambition is to start my own company
in the near future. Your generosity and goodwill to students like us inspires us to
work harder to achieve our goals. This means a lot to me and my family.”
Echols added, “It’s an honor to see such bright individuals benefiting our area in
business from this annual scholarship. I plan to continue to support ULM through various
giving programs as ULM is an important part of the success of the future of Northeast
Louisiana.”
The Michael C. Echols Superior Graduate Scholarship Endowment is funded by a $60,000
gift from Echols and a potential $40,000 match from the Louisiana Board of Regents.
