Meyer Graduate Travel Fund established in Mathematics

March 22, 2012 Scott Thompson 2-min. read

govan_meyer_2012 — Vincent and Anjela Govan pose with Prof. Carl Meyer at an event to celebrate the creation of the Meyer Graduate Travel Fund.

A generous gift by alumna Anjela Govan (Ph.D. 2008 – Mathematics) and her husband, Vincent, has allowed the College of Physical and Mathematical Science to establish the Meyer Graduate Travel Fund Endowment. The endowment provides funds for graduate students in the Department of Mathematics to travel to conferences, seminars, workshops and other educational opportunities.

While gifts that provide tuition relief are more common, funds for professional development opportunities are vital – not just to the students they support, but to the entire university.

As PAMS Dean Dan Solomon noted at a ceremony to mark the endowment signing, “Increased participation in these types of opportunities enhances not only the student experience, but also the reputation of the Department of Mathematics.”

A resident of Wake Forest, Govan emigrated from Russia with her family when she was 16. She completed high school in Michigan and earned her B.S. in mathematics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She went on to earn her M.S. in mathematics from Colorado State University before coming to North Carolina to pursue her doctoral degree at NC State.

Her decision to provide an endowed source of funds for student travel was based on Govan’s own graduate student experiences. Although an exceptional student who received numerous invitations to present her research at national and international conferences, she often struggled to scrape together the necessary funds to do so.

Govan named the endowment after her graduate advisor and mathematics professor, Carl Meyer, who was a consistent source of encouragement during her time at NC State and later during her successful career at Northrup Grumman.

Additional contributions may be made to the Meyer Graduate Travel Fund Endowment c/o PAMS Foundation, Campus Box 8201, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695. You may also submit contributions through our secure online gift form or contact the Office of College Advancement at 919-515-3462 or pams_dev@ncsu.edu for more information.