Investing in the next generation

UNC Kenan-Flagler’s eighth annual Donors & Scholars Celebration – an event where fellowship and scholarship donors meet the students who benefit from their support – attracted nearly 250 guests, including donors, faculty, staff and more than 150 student scholarship and fellowship recipients.

This year’s event honored the Master of Accounting (MAC) Program, a top-ranked program that has grown from 120 to close to 400 students since the launch of its online format in 2015.

Dean Doug Shackelford (BSBA ’80) highlighted two new fellowships added this year:

• The Lewis M. Burton Master of Accounting Fellowship established by Coleman D. Ross (BSBA ’65) in honor of classmate Lewis M. Burton (BSBA ’65)
• The Freddie and Susan Robinson Scholarship in Accounting Fund, the first need-based fellowship created for the MAC Program.

The featured speaker was Charles E. “Eddie” Sams Jr. (BSBA ’71), retired CEO of Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP, one of the top 20 public accounting firms in the nation. He established The Charles E. Sams Jr. MAC Scholarship Fund at UNC Kenan-Flagler.

Scholar testimonials featured the following scholarship and fellowship recipients:

• Haleigh Glenn (BSBA ’19) – Frank Ervin Young Jr. and Mae T. Young Undergraduate Business Fund, The Marvin B. Smith Jr. Memorial Scholarship
• Abbie Gration (MAC ’18) – The Danny R. Newcomb and Ernst & Young LLP Fund
• Ayisha Swann (MBA ’18) – The Horey Family MBA Fellowship
• Dominique Stephenson (MAC ’16) – previous recipient of The Charles E. Sams Jr. MAC Scholarship Fund

Shackelford also previewed a new website designed for use by donors who establish scholarships and fellowships. The website will go live in summer 2018.

The School has 25 fellowships in the MAC Program and a total of 181 scholarships and fellowships overall.

“With your help, we have a lot of opportunity to grow these numbers in all of our programs,” Shackelford said. “In today’s competitive environment, we are seeing increasing numbers of first-generation students in our programs. These scholarships, especially those focused on need, help us compete for top students and better prepare them for career success.”

For more information on creating a scholarship or fellowship at UNC Kenan-Flagler, contact Adam Gerdts (BA ’00, MBA ’14), associate dean for advancement.