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Faculty and staff contribute to Carolina in countless ways.
During the 2008 Faculty-Staff Campaign, more than 1,700
employees gave $1.79 million to their favorite areas, including building
projects, scholarship funds, academic programs and medical research (see the
donor honor roll, giving.unc.edu/
annualfund/facultystaff/
FacStaff.htm). Each
gift makes a difference in students’ and colleagues’ lives every day.
As a suggestion to faculty and staff who might want to give
to the University but do not have a particular area in mind, the Carolina
Annual Fund has chosen the Carolina Family Scholarship as this year’s featured
fund.
Launched in 2005, the Carolina Family Scholarship provides
need-based tuition scholarships to the children of qualifying Carolina employees
who wish to attend any of the UNC campuses or community colleges in the state.
Now, Carolina hopes to raise the endowment supporting it to $1 million.
A committee of faculty and staff, assisted by the Office of
Scholarships and Student Aid, awards the scholarships. The Carolina parents of
students who have received awards so far include office and program assistants,
a campus security guard, a construction estimator, a social research assistant
and a
dental assistant.
To date, 18 students have received awards, and they attend
10 different schools, including Carolina, N.C. State, Appalachian State and
Durham Tech.
The endowment supporting the Carolina Family Scholarship now
stands at $295,000. Raising it to $1 million would mean the program could distribute
an annual average of $45,000 – $50,000 in scholarships.
At the current scholarship level of $2,000 per student, more
than 20 students at any time could be supported throughout their college
educations. The larger endowment might also allow the scholarship committee to
distribute larger awards to fewer students.
Bruce Egan, who directs the Information Technology Services
Response Center, spearheaded the effort to
establish the fund.
“We all work for an educational institution, so what better
program to support than one that helps the children of our colleagues go to
college?” he said. “And since they can attend any UNC campus or community
college, it’s another example of Carolina helping support education throughout
the state.”
Egan contributes to the fund through payroll deduction,
which, he said, allows him to make a more significant contribution because it
is spread over the year.
A major boost also came from Chancellor Emeritus James
Moeser, who designated $232,000 in private dollars to the cause. Gifts to the
fund have come in all amounts, Egan said – even one dollar. “It runs the
gamut,” he said. “It all counts.”
For his initiative, Egan was honored with the Chancellor’s
Award for Excellence and the 2007 State Employees’ Award for Excellence, the
highest honor given to a state employee.
the fund’s impact
Carolina junior Heather Tate grew up in Chapel Hill and
always dreamed of attending UNC. Her dad, Dennis Tate, works as a technician in
Facilities Services. “Growing up, he always took me on tours of the campus,
teaching me about the different buildings and showing me a preview of campus
life,” Heather said.
In fall 2006, Heather became one of the first Carolina
Family Scholarship recipients. She said the scholarship was a blessing. “It has
helped alleviate some of the financial burden that college tuition can cause.
Without this help, attending the university of my choice would have been much
more difficult.”
Because of her dad, Heather knows firsthand how many
different people work to make Carolina the top-ranked university it is. “I’m
thankful to everyone who helped make my education possible,” she said. “Earning
this scholarship has motivated me to succeed. I hope to make you proud.”
Heather is majoring in business administration at
Kenan-Flagler Business School and applying for summer internships in finance
and pharmaceutical sales. In addition to her business courses, Heather recently
started studying Korean in honor of her mother, who is Korean.
Heather works part-time for a local real estate company and
has served on the General Alumni Association’s Professional Committee, helping
to plan events that encourage student-alumni relations.
Father and daughter occasionally bump into each other on campus.
“It’s a welcomed break from my hectic routine,” she said. “Plus, knowing that
my dad is nearby makes it easy when I forget something at home or need his help
with something.”
How to help
To give to the Faculty-Staff Campaign through payroll
deduction, follow the link at giving.unc.edu/annualfund/facultystaff/index.htm.
You will also see a link for making an online gift to the Carolina Family
Scholarship Fund.
You can mail a gift supporting the fund to Carolina Annual
Fund, c/o Beth Gardner Braxton, Office of University Development, CB# 6100
(make the check payable to UNC-Chapel Hill and note “Carolina Family
Scholarship Fund 6797” in the memo line).
For more information, contact Braxton at 962-4388 or beth_braxton@unc.edu.
Editor’s Note: This information appeared in the Spring 2009
issue of Carolina Connections, snipurl.com/elqte.
‘I am blessed to be where I am today, with the help of
Carolina’
My daughter Chelsea Leigh was born in 1990, and from the
beginning I wondered many things about her. Would she like her name? Would she
dance and play sports? Would she want a puppy?
Time passed quickly, and by elementary school she was
dreaming of being a teacher, a vet, a dancer. The list went on, and it still
does.
Chelsea began her high school years with excitement and
wonder. She became her own person. She always dreamed of college after high
school. No other choices were on her agenda. As a parent, I wanted her to have
a future larger than my own.
Time passed quickly, and led to big decisions: graduation,
applying to college, admission and enrollment at East Carolina University. It
was time to make her dreams a reality.
Chelsea had the drive and the moral support, as well as
solid grades from Eastern Alamance High School. She had some help through
financial aid and a loan – but she still needed more.
The Carolina Family Scholarship Fund helped make college a
reality. I looked online for information, and I knew that Chelsea would
qualify. It was up to her to apply, though, and she did.
I’ll never forget the day she met me in our driveway after
work, waving a letter and jumping up and down. She had received the Carolina
Family Scholarship award letter.
As well as helping with tuition, this gave her added
confidence – a real boost in pride. She was so honored to receive this
award. I was also thrilled and relieved at the same time. Getting ready for
college is stressful enough and this just lifted our spirits to a new high. We
are still excited about this scholarship, and the ongoing help for all four of
Chelsea’s college years.
Chelsea is enjoying her time in Greenville. She told me:
“Since coming to college, I feel that I have truly started to define who I am.
I am blessed to be where I am today, with the help of Carolina.”
As for me, I am so proud of Chelsea. I am also proud to
experience both goals of this program: to help the children of UNC employees
attend college, and also to create a sense of community among UNC faculty,
staff and administration by working toward this common goal.
Editor's Note: This was written by Jane Webster Deese,
receptionist, University Advancement.
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