NEWS

Dowd Foundation’s $1 million gift honors 'Pepper' Dowd of Charlotte

By KATHERINE KOPP
UNC Development Office

CHAPEL HILL -- The Dowd Foundation of Charlotte has made a $1 million pledge to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in honor of Elizabeth "Pepper" Dowd. The gift establishes an endowed Elizabeth "Pepper" Dowd Carolina Scholars Fund and creates six new academic scholarships in the university’s Carolina Scholars Program.

The scholarships will be awarded to students from North Carolina. The first Dowd Scholar will enter next fall with the Class of 2007. The scholarships will help ensure that the very best and brightest young North Carolinians can compete for merit-based scholarships that will allow them to be educated in their home state.

"Merit-based scholarships attract the brightest students to Carolina, thus enhancing the undergraduate experience for all," said Dr. Risa Palm, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, where all Carolina undergraduates begin their studies.

"Pepper Dowd’s longtime support of the liberal arts tradition at the university has already created outstanding opportunities for faculty and students. We are grateful to the Dowd Foundation for establishing these six scholarships in her honor and continuing the family legacy."

Said Edward "Ned" Hardison, president of the Dowd Foundation and a 1955 UNC alumnus: "Pepper’s service to the University of North Carolina has been truly remarkable, and we, the directors of the Dowd Foundation, wanted to honor her in this special way."

The Dowd Scholarships will be part of UNC's Carolina Scholars, a comprehensive academic scholarship program. The program provides a substantial stipend to cover the costs of tuition, fees and books for eight semesters.

Awarded to incoming freshmen, the scholarships are renewable for three additional years of study, provided the recipient maintains a 3.0 grade-point average. Carolina Scholars also are invited to join the honors program and take advantage of other opportunities, including faculty mentoring and leadership development.

Dowd, a 1953 Carolina graduate, was honored for her dedication to UNC-Chapel Hill and for her many years of service to the university. She served on the Board of Trustees from 1983-1991, two years as its vice chairman. She was president of the General Alumni Association in 1992-1993, after serving on its board from 1979-1981 and 1991-1994.  Dowd was a founder of the Arts and Sciences Foundation and served on its board of directors as vice chairman from 1975-1995. She also served on Morehead Scholars selection committees at the regional and central committee levels from 1979-1998. Dowd was a member of the Bicentennial Steering Committee and served on two chancellor search committees.

She received two of the highest awards bestowed by the university: the William R. Davie Award, given by the Board of Trustees, in 1993; and the Distinguished Service Medal, given by the General Alumni Association, in 1990.

The Dowd Foundation pledge represents the Dowd family’s leadership gift to the Carolina First campaign, a multi-year campaign to raise at least $1.5 billion in private support and position Carolina as the nation’s leading public university. More than $42 million of the $100 million goal for the metropolitan Charlotte area has been raised in the quiet phase of the campaign. The Dowd Foundation gift is one of the largest gifts received in the Charlotte area campaign to date.

For more information on the Dowd Carolina Scholars Fund, contact Del Helton, director of communications of the Arts and Sciences Foundation, at (919) 962-8216.

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Contact: Del Helton, (919) 962-8216