NC State Alumnus Establishes Full Scholarship For Undergraduate Students In Agriculture Majors

RALEIGH, N.C. – A $10 million gift from NC State alumnus David Peele will give students from eastern North Carolina the opportunity to attend NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with the full cost of attendance covered – and spend four years immersed in the research, mentorship and experiences preparing them to lead the future of agriculture.

The Peele Scholars Fund will support five incoming first-year students in its first cohort in fall 2027, with a focus on students from 39 eastern North Carolina counties.

“We have to train undergraduates specifically in NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences,” Peele said. “We need folks to think outside of the box when it comes to agriculture. Our state, our economy, and our people depend on it.”

Funding Students To Drive Vital Research for Our Agricultural Future

Peele’s $10 million gift will provide the new cohorts of agriculture and life science students with a comprehensive education covering the full cost-of-attendance and high-impact experiences to help them develop, including study abroad opportunities, internships and research stipends. His goal: keep students focused on agriculture research.

The transformational scholarship was announced during the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ annual Wolfpack Harvest event, showcasing the college’s people, initiatives and research making an impact. The gift is designed to empower the next generation of agricultural leaders and equip them with the skills to make a difference.

“This is what investing in the future of North Carolina agriculture looks like,” said Garey Fox, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “David Peele understands that the future of agriculture depends not only on what we discover, but on who we prepare to lead. This unique scholarship will open doors for talented North Carolina students, connect them to world-class research and give them opportunities to put that knowledge to work.”

Giving Back in Honor of His Roots

The son of a farmer and schoolteacher, Peele grew up in Aurora, North Carolina, a small town in Beaufort County. He is a two-time NC State graduate, having earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering in 1973 and his doctorate in crop science in 1994.

Peele joined the botanical processing company Avoca in 1978 as an agronomist and gradually worked his way up the ladder. He eventually bought the company in 2003 with his business partner David Holmes.

With deep roots in eastern North Carolina and a career spanning agricultural research and farm management, Peele has long contributed his time to NC State as a board member for the N.C. Agricultural Foundation and N.C. Agricultural and Life Sciences Research Foundation, and has been a loyal supporter of the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative.

Peele and his wife, Mary, named a greenhouse in the NC State Plant Sciences Building’s state-of-the-art greenhouse bay, and after her death in 2021, Peele named a second one in her memory.

By establishing the Peele Scholarship Fund, Peele is directly investing in the students who will drive vital plant science research forward for an agriculture industry that feeds, clothes and heals communities in North Carolina and beyond.

“If I can help one person make a decision to give a legacy gift devoted to agriculture students, I’ll feel good,” Peele said.