Family honors Dr. Michael Elam with endowed scholarship at Daytona State College

Daytona State President Dr. Tom LoBasso with the family of Dr. Michael Elam.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (December 2, 2022) – The family of Dr. Michael Elam, who served as Vice President for Student Development at Daytona State College from 2000 to 2009, has established an endowed scholarship fund with the DSC Foundation. 

Dr. Elam passed away last January, leaving behind a legacy of family devotion and love, service to others and excellence in his chosen profession, higher education leadership.

“Maxine, Matthew, Mikaela have lost a wonderful husband and father, and we have lost a dear former colleague,” said Dr. Tom LoBasso, President of Daytona State College. “I have very fond remembrances of Michael as a personal friend who was my Vice President when I first joined the College staff in 2001.  Mike was a great mentor, colleague and friend to me. As the Elam family continues to grieve his loss, we are grateful that they have extended Michael’s life and legacy by establishing this scholarship.” 

Dr. Elam served several institutions during his 41 years in higher education and was, at the time of his death, President of Halifax Community College in Weldon, NC. He was formerly President at Roanoke-Chowan Community College in Ahoskie, NC; Vice President for Strategic Initiatives for the Louisiana Community & Technical College System; Interim Chancellor for Sowela Technical Community College and Central Louisiana Technical Community College in Lake Charles and Alexandria, LA, respectively; and President of College of the Mainland, Texas City, TX.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology and a Master of Education degree in Student Personnel Administration from Howard University, and an Educational Doctorate in Higher Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. 

Once fully funded, the scholarship will support part- or full-time students pursuing their associate degree or certificate who maintain a 2.5 GPA and who demonstrate giving back to their community by performing  at least 10 hours of community service each semester.

The Foundation will match up to $3,000 in funds raised for the Elam Memorial Scholarship between now and January 25, 2023 and former colleagues and friends are invited to participate. To make a gift via the Foundation’s secure, online giving portal, please go to www.Daytonastate.edu/elam or call (386) 506-3407.

Students interested in applying for the Elam scholarship – one of more than 240 scholarships available through the Foundation – should visit DaytonaState.edu/Scholarships.

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Offering more than 100 certificate, associate and bachelor’s degree programs, Daytona State College is the leader in education and workforce training needs of Volusia and Flagler counties and beyond for more than 60 years. The College enrolls approximately 25,000 students a year at its seven campuses, with graduates serving in critical fields including healthcare, emergency services and public safety, business, education, hospitality, engineering, technology, digital media, and more.

Daytona State has been recognized as a leader in higher education numerous times, consistently by U.S. News & World Report, which ranks the College among the Top Tier Best Online Bachelor’s Programs. The U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center has ranked DSC among the top 50 most affordable public four-year institutions in the country, with less than half the tuition of the national average. Community College Week, a leading publication in higher education, annually continues to feature the college in its list of Top 100 Associate Degree Producers. And U.S. News & World Report has ranked DSC among its Top Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans multiple times.