News Release

Local angles: Ann Arbor, Mich.

School of Government alumni create endowment
fund to support graduate student scholarships

CHAPEL HILL – Sharon Johnson Rothwell and A. Douglas Rothwell, both University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill master of public administration graduates, have begun an endowment fund and pledged $10,000 a year for the next 10 years to support graduate student scholarships at UNC’s School of Government.

The Rothwells’ scholarship will be awarded each year to an outstanding student in the School of Government’s MPA degree program. The scholarship will help fund two years of tuition and expenses for these students.

The two-year program includes a professional internship and a capstone research project to prepare students to become public service leaders.

"The Rothwell Scholar will receive the top scholarship award in the master of public administration program," said Michael R. Smith, dean of the School of Government. "We could not be more proud that Doug and Sharon’s experience as students and the continued growth and improvement of the program in the years since their graduation have combined to inspire this landmark gift."

Sharon Rothwell is a 1977 UNC graduate in political science and a 1980 MPA graduate. Doug Rothwell also is a 1980 MPA graduate and a member of the School of Government Foundation Board.

The Rothwells live in Ann Arbor, Mich. Sharon Rothwell is the vice president of corporate affairs for Masco Corp., a leading manufacturer of brand-name home and building products and services. Doug Rothwell is president of Detroit Renaissance, a private nonprofit organization led by Detroit’s major corporate executives that promotes regional economic development.

"Sharon and I made this gift because we wanted to give something back to Carolina and the School of Government," Doug Rothwell said. "We wouldn’t have been as successful in our careers without graduating from such a great university and developing the skills we learned through the (master) program."

The School of Government honored the Rothwells at the 2005 Conference on Public Administration in November.

UNC’s School of Government works to improve the lives of North Carolinians by engaging in practical scholarship that helps public officials and citizens understand and improve state and local government. The school’s core components are the Institute of Government, which provides educational, advisory and research services for state and local governments, and the two-year master of public administration program.

The school also sponsors centers of significant importance to N.C. government and citizens focused on information technology management environmental finance and civic education for youth. For more information, visit www.sog.unc.edu.

The gift counts toward the university’s Carolina First campaign goal of

$2 billion. Carolina First is a comprehensive, multi-year, private fund-raising campaign to support Carolina’s vision of becoming the nation’s leading public university.

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School of Government contacts: Jean Coble, (919) 962-0426 or coble@sog.unc.edu; and Ann Simpson, (919) 966-9780 or simpson@sog.unc.edu

News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu