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 Ģ������ƵStories      February 13, 2025

By Bill Studenc

A life-changing study-abroad opportunity in France for a shy undergraduate student with limited international travel experience helped spark a newfound sense of self-confidence and a successful business career, which inspired a financial contribution that is helping Ģ������Ƶ students follow in his globe-trotting footsteps.

Late Highlands resident Greg Thompson and his wife, Mary, recently made a $100,000 gift to Ģ������Ƶto create the Thompson Study Abroad Annual Program Fund, which provides financial support to Brinson Honors College students participating in foreign study programs, with preference going for those in immersive programs.

For Thompson, a retired insurance executive who died unexpectedly Sunday, Feb. 9, the philanthropic gift represented a full-circle moment and a chance to help offer the same type of international study opportunities he experienced as a college student studying French at Washington and Lee University. He went on to earn his master’s degree in business administration at the University of Virginia.

“I studied abroad and lived with a French family while going to French-speaking classes,” Thompson said a few weeks before his death. “I was a very timid young man, but the experience was exhilarating and confidence-building. It took me out of my ‘comfort zone,’ and I developed an ability to adapt that carried over into my subsequent personal and business life. For this reason, we are particularly committed to financing study abroad where the student is immersed in the local culture.”

The contributions are designed to support Brinson Honors College students taking part in semester- or yearlong exchange program through WCU’s Office of Global Engagement, living either with a foreign family or among foreign students, or living as a native student of the country would live. Preference for awards is given to students with financial need. Recipients of support through the program are known as Thompson Scholars.

“I do not just hope, but I firmly believe that participation in an immersive study abroad program via this scholarship will lead to extraordinary personal growth for the recipient,” Thompson said. “The truth is life is full of risks. But if you spend your life avoiding reasonable risks, you will end up missing out on experiences that will help you grow and mature.”

Jill Granger, dean of the Brinson Honors College, said that the Thompson Study Abroad Annual Program Fund, established in July 2024, is having an immediate impact on the college and its students.

“I can’t overstate how much the Thompson Scholar initiative has raised the profile on semester-long study abroad,” Granger said. “We’ve only just started, and this has been a transformative gift.”

The inaugural Thompson Scholar, Ģ������Ƶjunior Ashlyn Hannon, is currently studying in Granada, Spain. It marks the first overseas trip for Hannon, a resident of Kannapolis who is majoring in political science and international studies. With $10,000 in support from the Thompson Study Abroad Program, she is living with a host family and studying at the University of Granada.

“Since my city, Granada, is a little bit smaller, I’ve gotten to fully immerse myself in Spanish culture,” Hannon said. “I’ve been practicing Spanish all day every day with locals and my host family, and I have also been loving the Spanish cuisine. My host mom is a great cook, and here in Granada there are free ‘tapas,’ which means many restaurants will give you a small portion of food for free when you order a drink. It’s amazing. I’m so happy that I have the opportunity to study abroad.”

The Thompsons, neither of whom are alumni of WCU, first learned of the university through their Highlands neighbors Jack and Judy Brinson, longtime supporters of the institution’s college for high-achieving students whose name now adorns the Honors College.

“Jack and Judy’s desire to assist regional students struck a chord with us. Highlands is a very wealthy community, but we know that Western North Carolina in general is not,” he said. “Providing scholarships for regional students seemed like the right thing to do for outsiders like ourselves who enjoy the natural beauty of the Plateau. When we started meeting students, whom we found to be diligent and motivated, we were also impressed that many of them were first-generation college attendees.”

Upon Judy Brinson’s death in July 2021, the Thompsons made their first contribution to Ģ������Ƶ– more than $25,000 to create the Judy Brinson Endowed Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance to Honors College students from North Carolina.

“We were very fond of them both and wanted to do it as a way to support Jack in his grief while also supporting a great cause,” Greg Thompson said.

He was the former owner and CEO of Thompson Insurance Enterprises (THOMCO) in Atlanta. Founded in 1979 by him and his father, THOMCO was acquired by Markel, a global insurance company. He served as a consultant and senior adviser for a number of specialty insurance agencies.

The Thompsons, who also have a residence in Atlanta, hosted events for the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival and the Bascom Arts Center in Highlands. At the time of his death, he was serving on the board of the Bascom and on the Parish Council of Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church in Highlands. He was a frequent speaker at Honors College events with a focus on helping students build resilience.

As applications arrive from potential future Thompson Scholars, Granger, the Brinson Honors College dean, described a recent Honors Global Symposium at which the newly created study-abroad scholarship program was discussed.

“I was moved by a first-generation college student who attended the symposium,” Granger said. “This student shared with me that the symposium helped change her mind about possibly staying with a host family while abroad, saying ‘I’m now considering staying with a family because I’m hearing some people’s experiences about the benefits and how it’s so much easier to network, talk to people, connect and learn the language, which is what I really want to do.’ With the Thompsons’ emphasis on funding for immersive programs abroad, we see this as a potential catalyst for more students to choose those kinds of immersive study abroad program.”

That’s exactly the type of reaction the Thompsons envisioned when they funded the scholarship program. And that’s why they encourage students who may be apprehensive about studying abroad to overcome those fears.

“I think fear of the unknown holds a lot of students back from an abroad program. I also think this same fear holds graduates back from taking chances in their careers that could ultimately be very rewarding. Before fear becomes a bad habit, why not take the plunge and learn that you can overcome that fear if you choose to,” he said.

“If not now, when? When will you again have the opportunity to go outside of your ‘comfort zone?’ When will you again be able to have an adventure that will not only have a positive impact on your ability to adapt to life’s challenges but also create unique memories that you will cherish for the rest your life?” he said.

The Thompsons’ gift is also providing seed funding to help the Brinson Honors College develop faculty-led study abroad programs, Granger said.

“This will be a key infrastructure support to help us grow our capacity for supporting more honors students in their goals to study abroad. Currently plans are underway with details to be worked out over the summer,” she said. “The Thompsons’ vision is to help WCU, and specifically the Brinson Honors College students, provide a study-abroad opportunity to as many students as possible, increasing that number over time. Growing our infrastructure is key to realizing that goal, and the Thompsons see that as an important part of the overall equation.”

Establishment of the Thompson Study Abroad Program for students in the Brinson Honors College comes as Ģ������Ƶenters the public phase of its “Fill the Western Sky” comprehensive fundraising campaign, an effort to raise a minimum of $100 million for the university’s academic, student engagement and athletics programs. For more information or to make a contribution to the campaign, visit WesternSky.wcu.edu, call 828-227-7124 or email advancement@wcu.edu.