The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1497827
22 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER C State football coach Dave Doeren is entering his 11th season with the Wolfpack. Only Clem- son's Dabo Swinney is longer-tenured among Doeren's ACC counter- parts. Overall, Doeren is tied for the ninth- longest tenure in the FBS, where there are 131 schools. "We're super happy to be here," Do- eren noted. "I can tell you that we love NC State and Raleigh." As an expression of their feelings for NC State, Doeren and his wife, Sara, made a $1.25 million commitment to establish OnePack Empowered, which will benefit NC State students who face challenges with executive function skills critical to academic success, such as organization, planning, setting priorities, task comple- tion and decision making. No specific diagnosis will be prioritized or required to apply for the program. "We're not talking about students be- ing admitted [to NC State] through a spe- cial process," Doeren explained. "We're talking about students who have been ac- cepted to the university, who are very aca- demically capable but might benefit from something as simple as a mentor to walk consistently alongside them. This is a special group of people who too often get labeled and limited. Instead of avenues for success, they get roadblocks. "I'd like to open people's eyes to the fact that with just a little extra support, a lot of kids can be wildly successful." The donation is the latest in support of a cause that is personal for the Doerens. The eldest of their three sons, Jacob, was diagnosed on the autism spectrum while in preschool. Jacob was accepted at Lou- isburg College, where the school's Learn- ing Partners program helped him gradu- ate with a 3.75 grade point average. Jacob is now a junior at Appalachian State studying sustainable energy and technology and using a similar program called As-U-R. That helped motivate the Doerens to jump-start OnePack Empow- ered. "Jacob is doing so well," Sara Doeren said in a prepared statement. "We just want other students to have the same op- N ONEPACK ONEPACK EMPOWERED EMPOWERED The Doerens' Significant Contribution Will Start A New Program At NC State Head football coach Dave Doeren and his wife, Sara, have committed $1.25 million to establish OnePack Empowered. The initiative is aimed at helping NC State students who face challenges with the executive function skills needed to achieve academic success. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN