For immediate release
(Chapel Hill, N.C. – Oct. 12, 2017) – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill celebrated its 224th anniversary and announced that the one-year Give for Good: Scholarship Challenge raised more than $65 million to support the Carolina Covenant and the Morehead-Cain scholarship.
One year ago, Chancellor Carol L. Folt announced the challenge, prompted by a $20 million gift from an anonymous donor. The donor made the gift as tandem $10 million challenges to double the amount, in order to help bring the best and brightest students to Carolina. More than 2,300 additional donors responded, contributing more than $45 million.
As Chancellor Folt announced today during the University Day ceremony and celebration, “I’m thrilled to report that we more than met the challenge issued by this generous anonymous donor. While he hoped to double the challenge gift, we ended up raising more than $65 million, more than tripling the original gift, all for student scholarships.”
Gifts to the challenge count toward The Carolina Edge, a Campaign for Carolina signature initiative that aims to raise $1 billion to support undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships and professional school financial aid. The campaign launched publicly Oct. 6, 2017, with an overall goal of $4.25 billion.
Launched in 2004, the Carolina Covenant scholarship program is a groundbreaking initiative that affords children of low-income families — many of whom are first-generation college students — an opportunity to attend Carolina without borrowing a penny. The program supports UNC-Chapel Hill’s mission of staying truly public and provides intellectually driven, hard-working young individuals the chance to study at one of the most prestigious public universities in the country — and the freedom to pave a future unburdened by college debt regardless of their background. Since its beginning, the scholarship program has enabled more than 6,500 high performing, low-income students to attend Carolina and graduate debt free. The Give for Good: Scholarship Challenge will help ensure the Carolina Covenant continues to thrive at Carolina.
Since its founding in 1945, the Morehead-Cain Foundation — home of the first merit-based scholarship program in the country — has connected the world’s most talented, high-achieving young leaders to a fully funded UNC-Chapel Hill undergraduate experience. More than 3,100 scholars have benefited from the program since its inception, channeling academic and leadership potential to make a positive and profound impact on the lives of others, beginning on campus and continuing after graduation. Funds raised by the Give for Good: Scholarship Challenge will help increase the number of scholars the program can bring to Carolina.
“We’re thrilled that we more than met the challenge issued by our anonymous donor,” said David Routh, vice chancellor for development. “This is one more example of the great momentum donors have provided to carry us into the public phase of the Campaign for Carolina.”
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About the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation’s first public university, is a global higher education leader known for innovative teaching, research and public service. A member of the prestigious Association of the American Universities, Carolina regularly ranks as the best value for academic quality in the U.S. public higher education. Now in its third century, the University offers 77 bachelor’s, 110 master’s, 64 doctorate and 7 professional degree programs through 14 schools and the College of Arts and Sciences. Every day, faculty, staff and students shape their teaching, research, and public service to meet North Carolina’s most pressing needs in every region and all 100 counties. Carolina’s more than 322,000 alumni live in all 50 states and 165 counties. More than 175,000 live in North Carolina.
University Development: Kim Elenez, (919) 962-1628, kelenez@email.unc.edu
University Communications: Media Relations, (919) 445-8555, mediarelations@unc.edu