Ernest N. Carter Scholarship

In the fall of 2003, E. Eugene Carter established an endowment scholarship fund in honor of his father, Ernest N. Carter. The Ernest N. Carter Hispanic Scholarship will provide $1,000 to entering freshman that are of Hispanic heritage and majoring in engineering. It is renewable up to three years after the first year.

No one knows the importance of scholarships better than the Eugene Carter himself. Originating from modest Midwest backgrounds, most of Carter's undergraduate and graduate studies were financed through established scholarships. After graduating high school, Carter received the F.C. Austin Scholarship, fully covering the costs of tuition, books, and room and board to Northwestern University. Carter could not pass up this generous offer and soon the importance of scholarships was quickly instilled in him. Upon graduating from Northwestern, Carter went on to receive a National Defense Education Act Fellowship to Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University. With the help of yet another scholarship, a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, Carter completed his studies with a master's degree and Ph.D. in industrial administration. With much of his academic career funded through scholarships, Carter believed in the importance of giving back to the community and helping finance the education of other determined and hardworking individuals.

Carter created the Ernest N. Carter Hispanic Scholarship in honor of his father. Ernest Carter was known by most as "honest Nick" for his truthful and sincere nature. He was considered the gentle one in his family. Prior to entering college, Carter was drafted in World War I and was trained to be part of a tank company. He returned from the war with the farm states devastated in the early 1920s before the real depression hit. With no money, he started working on highways and spent most of his life doing so as a civil engineer. He has never able to pursue his college education.

Ernest Carter was a calm, low-key, wise man who believed in the importance of hard work. It is only fitting that a scholarship in his name awards other future hard-working engineers.