NEWS

By CATE HOUSE
Office of University Devlopment

CHAPEL HILL -- The Progress Energy Foundation has awarded $215,000 to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to support the Carolina Environmental Program, LEARN NC and Kenan-Flagler Business School. These university initiatives are closely aligned with the foundation’s funding priorities, which include education, the environment, economic development and employee involvement.

"More than a donor to the university, the Progress Energy Foundation is a partner," Chancellor James Moeser said. "Our missions are the same: to enhance the quality of life for people throughout the state. By linking Progress Energy’s philanthropic goals with the university’s initiatives, we can achieve this goal."

Bill Cavanaugh, chairman and chief executive officer of Progress Energy, said the gift is another way the company can make a positive difference in the lives of the people it serves. "We’re more than a power company," he said. "We are a family of people who live and work in the communities we serve. What better way to be a good corporate citizen than to partner with Carolina in educating our youth and being good stewards of the environment."

Of the $215,000 gift, $150,000 will support two projects in the Carolina Environmental Program, a campuswide initiative dedicated to understanding the environment and building an environmentally sustainable society. A portion of the gift — $50,000 — will support the development of a Web-based information tool used to identify areas of land and water most in need of conservation in North Carolina.

This Web resource is part of "One North Carolina Naturally," a joint project of the program and the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The remainder of the gift — $100,000 —will create the Watershed Processes and Management Program, a research and outreach effort focusing on various types of development in watersheds such as North Carolina’s Neuse River Basin.

LEARN NC, a Web-based network of North Carolina educators administered by the School of Education, will receive $30,000 to create a computer-aided math and science training program for middle school teachers and students in southeastern North Carolina. LEARN NC stands for Learners’ and Educators’ Assistance and Resource Network of North Carolina.

Kenan-Flagler Business School will receive $10,000 to help fund its Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program, a three-week summer training program for African American, Hispanic and Native American high school seniors who are interested in pursuing business careers. The Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, part of the business school, will receive $25,000 to explore a partnership with the Progress Energy Leadership Institute to provide a leadership program for school superintendents and principals in economically disadvantaged communities. The program will provide five days of intensive management training by Kenan-Flagler faculty.

The Progress Energy Foundation was formed in November 2000 following the merger of CP&L and the Florida Progress Corp. The Progress Energy gift counts toward the Carolina First campaign goal of $1.8 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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Development office contact:  Cate House, 843-7023, cate_house@unc.edu
News Services contact: Mike McFarland, 962-8593, mike_mcfarland@unc.edu