Program Support

Southern Voices, Future Leaders

“Undergraduate students are walking onto our campus with a voice, with ideas, with a set of commitments to their communities,” said Elizabeth Engelhardt. “During the time that they’re here, our job is to help them focus their voice to become that future leader in the South.”

Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, then dean of the College (left), celebrated Alex Yong and Wendi Sturgis’ gift at Carolina’s campaign kickoff in October 2018. The couple’s support benefits scholarships, the Writing and Learning Center and diversity initiatives in the department of computer science. (photo by Jafar Fallahi)

Paying It Forward

“We believe strongly that all college students, no matter their background, should have every resource available to ensure their ultimate success,” said Alex Yong ’90

The THRIVE Program celebrates the graduation of its first intensive outpatient program cohort in February 2023.

Treating Traumatic Brain Injury in Veterans

The Matthew Gfeller Center launched a new initiative to make treatment for traumatic brain injuries more accessible for military veterans in and around North Carolina, thanks to a $12.5 million investment from the Avalon Action Alliance.

Social Media, Smart Phones and the Adolescent Brain

The Winston National Center on Technology Use, Brain and Psychological Development will create more tools for parents, caregivers and teens to make better-informed choices about how they interact with technology and social media.

The Monk family’s gift will support students serving in internships in eastern North Carolina and students from that region participating in internships elsewhere. Multiple generations of the family are represented in this photo. (photo courtesy of the Monk family)

Connecting the University and Eastern North Carolina

The Monk family’s love of home and university led them to give back to Carolina and their home region of eastern North Carolina through the Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship’s Monk Family Internship Fund.

Donald Haggis holds a copy of “Hippocrates on Head Wounds” by Maury Hanson.

A Doctor’s Love of Ancient Medicine Leads to Gift for Classics Department

Maury Hanson spent his career as a surgeon in New York City and the Washington, D.C., area. After retiring, Hanson decided to become a Tar Heel and study ancient medicine.

Director’s Fund for Excellence in Latin American Studies

An anonymous donor established the Director’s Fund for Excellence in Latin American Studies — a fund that provides resources to the Institute for the Study of the Americas for faculty and student support, course development, summer internships and public lectures.

Nehemiah Stewart ’21, alum of the Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship

Changing Life Trajectories

The Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship empowers students to turn ideas and inspiration into action and thanks to the transformational support of the Shuford family, this undergraduate entrepreneurship program has doubled in size.

The UNC Writing and Learning Center provides a variety of services to help students excel, including personalized academic coaching tailored to your needs. We also offer peer tutoring, group workshops, and online resources that help students with everything from test prep to STEM courses.

Maximizing Success for All Tar Heels

Michael Stutts ’02 is dedicated to building awareness of the Writing and Learning Center’s comprehensive services and “leveling the playing field” by helping all students regardless of academic level or background.

Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, Miriam and Tom Zietlow, and Dean Jim White.

Largest Single Gift to Carolina Public Humanities Launches Statewide Civic Engagement Project

Funded with a generous gift from Miriam ’83 and Tom Zietlow (MBA ’01), the project will work to help North Carolinians better understand the importance of democratic institutions, voting and participation in civic life.

PlayMakers’ fall 2021 production of The Skin of Our Teeth featured Ray Dooley (right) in his final performance as a PlayMakers Company member.

The Power of Discretionary Funding

In his years working as head of a boarding school in New Jersey, T. Chandler “Chan” Hardwick ’75 learned firsthand the importance of having discretionary funding to fulfill his responsibilities and achieve his goals.

“I took two classes in San Cristóbal, one on immigration to the United States from Latin America and one on Latin American literature. We traveled to various beaches on the island, several giant tortoise reservations and to Santa Cruz, another island in the archipelago. I told my friends and family that there were so many ‘best parts’ of the trip — the food, the friends I made, the immigration course, the amazing views and weather, my super sweet host family, the friendly citizens of Puerto Baquerizo — I could go on. “The experience opened my eyes to a completely different way of life, while simultaneously making me appreciate the culture and living conditions of the United States. The course on immigration taught me a lot about the violent and desperate conditions that cause Latin Americans to immigrate to the United States. Additionally, it showed me how complex the process of legal immigration is and the various ways in which Latino immigrants are exploited in the United States. Still, despite all these barriers and threats, many choose to immigrate. Learning this from a perspective outside of the U.S. really brought home this idea to me because I was separated from many things that I take for granted in the U.S. I did not expect that through study abroad, I would gain an appreciation for my home country.” - Trevor Pharr ’23, a music and chemistry double major

A Plan and a Partnership

John and Marree Townsend’s commitments to UNC-Chapel Hill over the years have been both plentiful and purposeful — and none more so than their gift to the College of Arts and Sciences to establish the Townsend Family Strategic Initiatives Fund.

Students in the Summer Bridge program pose for a portrait with Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz on July 25, 2022, at the Old Well on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Building a Bridge to Success at Carolina

Summer Bridge is a six-week transition program that is designed to ease participants’ personal and academic transition from high school to Carolina. The program is open to all admitted incoming first-year students from North Carolina.

Morehead-Cain Alumni Distinguished Professor Geoff Sayre-McCord, the founding director of the program

Investing in Faculty, Students and Programs Through Leadership and Philanthropy

“We are committed to the idea of exposing students to the work of free-market thinkers; and the PPE Program, by its very nature, does this well, while also exposing students to the critics of, and alternatives to, free markets,” said the Langmans. “This is an incredibly enriching program at Carolina

UNC undergrads visit Phillips Island as part of Dr. Niels Lindquist’s class in 2020. Photo: UNC-IMS

Morehead City Native Gifts Family’s Island to UNC Institute of Marine Sciences

“At the very end, it came down to what was more important to me and that is making sure that the island stays unmolested, if you would, and free.”