Mike Driskill ’89 and his wife, Robin, of Raleigh, N.C., utilized planned giving to make a significant impact on Elon's future.
Mike Driskill ’89 and his wife, Robin, of Raleigh, N.C., have utilized planned giving to make a significant impact on Elon’s future.
One scholarship will provide assistance to a member of Elon’s men’s or women’s soccer team and a second scholarship will support a student studying in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business.
Driskill is a former member of Elon’s soccer team and earned his bachelor’s degree in business from the Love School. He was honored with a framed replica of his jersey at the Oct. 22 men’s soccer game during Homecoming weekend.
“It’s been a privilege to have gone to school at Elon, and Robin and I are pleased that we can do this and give back to the school,” Driskill said.
Driskill chose to support the things that meant the most to him when he was an Elon student, experiences that continue to help him in his personal and professional life.
“I think athletics are very important and teach you things like team-building, communication and working with people who are different than you are, which are important in business and in life,” Driskill said. “The Love School gave me an understanding of business from a broad spectrum and gave me the tools to succeed.”
“Mike and Robin’s generous gift will provide opportunities for student-athletes to obtain a quality education at Elon University for years to come,” said Athletics Director Dave Blank. “The family tradition of athletics at Elon that exists in the Driskill family makes it even more meaningful for future student-athletes, who will be able to pursue excellence both athletically and academically because of their generosity.”
Driskill’s playing career was cut short after he broke his foot prior to his sophomore year. He helped Elon to a 13-3-1 record in 1985, including a 6-1-1 mark in Carolinas Conference play.
Today, Driskill is a sales representative with HD Supply Waterworks, a national and international distributor of products for water, sewer, storm and fire protection systems. He feels Elon prepared him well to succeed in the professional world.
“I learned quickly that the faculty were teaching you in a particular manner with the ultimate goal of preparing you to become your own person and apply those skills to whatever you’re doing,” he said. “I understood what my skill set was, which is, I’m good with people.”
“We are grateful to Mike and Robin Driskill for this meaningful gift, which will help many future generations of Elon students,” said Raghu Tadepalli, dean of the Love School of Business. “It is especially gratifying that as an alum Mike appreciates the value of an Elon education.”
Driskill attended Homecoming this year as he has done every year, along with his fraternity brothers from Kappa Sigma.
“It’s been incredible to see the transformation at Elon,” he said. “I couldn’t be more proud of all the people who have helped drive that forward. It does make you very proud that your school has come this far in a relatively short period of time.”
Driskill said he is indebted to his father, William Driskill, and his late mother, Lou, for making his Elon education possible. He and Robin decided to place Elon in their will while doing their estate planning.
“I wanted to leave something as a legacy, and I figured there is no better place to do that than at Elon, where I got my start in life,” Driskill said. “It’s nice to know it’ll help students for a long time. Maybe the student it helps is the person who creates the next Apple or Microsoft, someone who may not have had that opportunity without a scholarship. Education is the key to solving a lot of problems in the world, and this is our way of giving something back.”
Mike and Robin are members of Elon’s planned giving legacy society, Order of the Oak.