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Lees-McRae Announces Shelton Scholars Program

Ed and Dotti Shelton

Oct. 2, 2012. Lees-McRae College is pleased to announce the establishment of the Shelton Scholars program named in honor of Ed and Dotti Shelton, of Shelton Vineyards in Dobson, N.C., for their generous and humble leadership, guidance and support of Lees-McRae College.

The Shelton Scholars Program will be the highest honor bestowed upon entering freshmen beginning Fall 2013. This prestigious award, valued at over $130,000 over the course of four years, will provide full tuition, room and board to one student selected during Scholars Day. 

Lees-McRae President Barry M. Buxton announced the Shelton Scholars program at the September 21 Board of Trustees meeting.

“We are so grateful to Ed and Dotti Shelton for their belief in Lees-McRae College and all they have done in providing encouragement, wisdom, and financial support. We can never adequately thank the Sheltons for their leadership, but the Shelton Scholars program will serve as a tangible expression of our gratitude and love for the Sheltons,” said Buxton. “Ed and Dotti are passionate about helping young people achieve their dreams, and over the coming decades, this scholarship will serve that purpose.”

Qualified students must have at least a 3.5 GPA and 1150 SAT (or ACT equivalent) at the time of admission to the college and agree to be an active member of the LMC Honors Program. All students who meet these criteria will be invited to participate in Scholars Day on Feb. 23, 2013 and will have the opportunity to compete for this award. The Shelton Scholars recipient will be chosen through an interview and essay competition.

Ed and Dotti Shelton, of Dobson, N.C. and Banner Elk, N.C., have a long history with Lees-McRae College. Mr. Shelton is an alumnus of the class of 1960 and was awarded an honorary degree in Political Science in 1995. He serves on the College’s Board of Trustees and is currently the interim chairman of the Board. 

The Sheltons have helped fund many projects at Lees-McRae including the automation project for the James H. Carson Library in 1995-96, campus facility enhancements, and support for enrollment management efforts.

Lees-McRae College honored Ed and Dotti Shelton with the 2008 Rev. Edgar Tufts Founder’s Medal, the most prestigious non-academic award given by the College, as part of the College’s Founder’s Day celebrations. The medal reads, “Individuals selected to receive the Founder’s Medal reflect the ideals of our founder and have made extraordinary contributions of time, talent and treasure to the College.”

In 2011, Ed Shelton was presented an honorary Doctorate of Humanities during Commencement exercises in May.  The honorary doctorate degree is the highest academic distinction awarded by the College; a degree that is given in honor and recognition of distinguished service and dedication to higher education.

Dotti Shelton, an artist, has donated several paintings to Lees-McRae over the years, both for display and auction at the Scholarship Gala. Her art can be found in Alta Vista Gallery in Valle Crucis and Hampton House Gallery in Winston-Salem and King, N.C.

The Sheltons are entrepreneurs in every sense of the word. Ed Shelton and his brother, Charlie, co-founded companies including The Shelton Companies of Charlotte, Shelco, Inc., Fortis Homes, King Sash, Carolinas’ Distribution Services, and most recently, Shelton Vineyards in Dobson, N.C. The award-winning Shelton Vineyards, opened in 1999, is the largest family-owned estate winery in North Carolina. Ed Shelton was also inducted into the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame in 2007.

For more information on the Shelton Scholars program or how to apply to Lees-McRae, contact an admissions specialist at 800-280-4562 or admissions@lmc.edu.

Located in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains of northwestern North Carolina on the highest elevated campus in the eastern US, Lees-McRae College educates and inspires students to approach life and work from a creative, collaborative, and critical perspective in preparation for diverse careers and environments. Learn more at www.lmc.edu