News Release

Note: See list below for recipients, donors and local angles.

UNC awards record amount in study abroad scholarships

CHAPEL HILL – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has awarded more than $99,000 in privately funded, need- and merit-based scholarships to 34 undergraduates for study abroad this summer and fall.

Previously, $27,000 was the highest total ever awarded – in fall 2005 and fall 2006, to 16 and 21 students, respectively. Expanded eligibility criteria for one scholarship and the first-time availability of scholarships from two other funds accounted for the increase, said Bob Miles, Ph.D., associate dean for study abroad and international exchanges.

“The generosity of our donors and their collaboration with our office enables us to help an increasing number of students participate in academic programs abroad and so obtain international experience,” Miles said.

The students will participate in UNC-approved programs in cities including Florence, Italy; Quito, Ecuador; Nairobi, Kenya; Hong Kong; and Yotvata, Israel. They represent a variety of majors, including journalism, Spanish, studio art, psychology, chemistry and international studies.

The scholarships are supported by 10 donor-established endowment funds. Most gifts establishing the funds have been raised as part of the Carolina First Campaign, a comprehensive, multi-year private fund-raising campaign that has raised more than $2 billion to support Carolina’s vision of becoming the nation’s leading public university.

The study abroad office in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences offers more than 320 study abroad programs in more than 70 countries. Approximately 1,200 Carolina undergraduates go abroad each year through college programs.

UNC students interested in applying for study abroad or receiving information about scholarships should contact the study abroad office at (919) 962-7002 or visit http://global.unc.edu/studyabroad.

The scholarships awarded this spring, donors who established them and recipients for study abroad this summer and fall are listed below, with hometowns in bold.

Bejarano-Benning Study Abroad Scholarship for Latin America
Leslie Benning of New York City, a 1979 Carolina graduate, and her husband, Dr. Rafael Bejarano, established this scholarship in 2003. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation matched their gift. The fund provides at least one scholarship annually for study in Latin America.

Recipient Christopher Hilliard, a junior biology major from Raleigh, will be in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with the COPA: Buenos Aires summer program. COPA – Cooperating Programs in the Americas – is a consortium of four universities, including Carolina, with programs in Argentina and Chile.

Bejarano-Benning Study Abroad Scholarship for Spain/Iberian Peninsula
Leslie Benning of New York City, a 1979 Carolina graduate, and her husband, Dr. Rafael Bejarano, established this scholarship in 2003. The fund provides at least one scholarship annually for semester or yearlong programs in Spain or Portugal. Just awarded for the first time, the scholarship went to Elizabeth Schonig, a sophomore journalism and mass communication major from Sayville, N.Y. She will spend the fall in Madrid, Spain, in an internship program offered with Boston University.

Michael L. and Matthew L. Boyatt Award
Michael Boyatt, a 1956 Carolina graduate from Beech Mountain, established this fund in 1996 with his son, Matthew, of Durham, who received undergraduate and law degrees from Carolina in 1997 and 2002, respectively. The fund provides merit-based awards for undergraduates majoring in international studies or history. Recipients are:

• Jennifer Melton, a junior international studies major from Kernersville, studying this fall in South Africa as part of the Honors Semester in Cape Town; and
• Eric Schabel, a junior international studies major from Hillsborough, participating in the UNC Summer in Japan program in Tokyo.  

Anthony and Hope Harrington Study Abroad Scholarship
UNC alumnus Anthony Harrington, a former U.S. ambassador to Brazil, and his wife, Hope, of Easton, Md., created the fund supporting this award in 2004. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation matched their gift. The Harringtons established the scholarship to honor former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, who taught at UNC in 1974 and 1975. Lagos received an honorary degree from UNC in 2001. The fund awards scholarships annually for study abroad in Latin America. Recipients are: 

• Andrea Barrett, a junior Spanish major from Charlotte, part of the COPA (Cooperating Programs in the Americas): Argentine Universities program this fall in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and
• Stephanie Mitchell, a sophomore Spanish and linguistics major from Rocky Mount, participating this summer in the UNC APPLES (Assisting People in Planning Learning Experiences in Service) Service-Learning Program and the International Partnership for Service Learning Program at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico. 

Harris Teeter Study Abroad Scholarship Program
This program was established in 2004 by Harris Teeter and the Dickson Foundation Inc. This spring, scholarships were awarded from the fund for the first time. Harris Teeter, the Matthews-based supermarket chain, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ruddick Corp., whose former chairman is Alan Dickson of Charlotte, a Dickson Foundation trustee. The fund will provides annual scholarships for students from North Carolina, with preference for Harris Teeter associates or their children. The first recipients are: 

• Kyle Kleber, a senior psychology major from Apex, participating in the Israel Archaeology Summer Field School in Yotvata, Israel;  
• Laura Bubacz, a junior English major from Cary, a fall semester exchange student at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England; and 
• Katie Causey, a senior psychology and sociology major from Fayetteville, studying in Gaborone, Botswana, this summer in the Burch Field Research Seminar “Human Nature across Diverse Cultures.”

Leonard G. and Rozelia S. Herring Study Abroad Award Fund
Leonard Herring, a 1948 Carolina graduate, and his wife, Rozelia, of North Wilkesboro, established this fund in 2005. The fund provides scholarships for students with demonstrated financial need and academic merit to support participation in semester or year-long study abroad programs. The recipients are:

• Michelle Chuang, a junior English and international studies major from Conover, spending the fall in Xiamen, China, with the UNC Semester in China program; 
• Jacob O’Quinn, a senior economics major from Sanford, a fall semester exchange student at the National University of Singapore; 
• Lindsay Eanes, a sophomore American studies major from Greensboro, studying this fall in the School for International Training’s Pacific Islands Studies Program in Upolu, Samoa;
• Grete Dudek, a senior biology major from Dresher, Pa., attending the School for International Training’s Reconciliation and Development Program this fall in Durban, South Africa;
• Janice Smith, a junior German major from Charlotte, a fall semester exchange student at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands; and
• Matthew Wofford, a junior biology major from Chapel Hill, a fall semester exchange student at Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan.

Joe Henry Jenkins and Jenny C. Jenkins Study Abroad and International Experience Fund
This fund was established in 2004 to honor members of the Jenkins family, longtime residents of Dare County and eastern North Carolina. Awards from the fund will support study abroad or international experiences for undergraduates from eastern North Carolina. Recipients are:

• Creecy Silver, a sophomore history major from Manteo, participating this fall in the Honors Semester in London;
• Varen Moore, a senior economics and political science major from Blounts Creek, attending the Lorenzo de Medici Institute in Florence, Italy, this summer; and 
• Michael Bronson, a senior political science and philosophy major from Wilmington, enrolled this summer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Charles Garland Johnson Sr. Scholarships
Carolina alumni Mary Anne Johnson Dickson and Neal Johnson of Charlotte established the fund supporting these awards in 2002 to honor their late father, a banker and community leader in Elkin. Initially, the fund offered need- and merit-based study abroad scholarships to undergraduates from Surry, Wilkes and Yadkin counties. This year, criteria were expanded to make all North Carolina students eligible, with preference given to students from those three counties. Recipients are:

• Kelly Jo Blackburn, a junior communication studies major from Elkin, spending the summer in London, England, in an internship program offered with Boston University;
• Joshua Wasson, a junior Spanish major from Boonville, participating in the UNC fall program in Sevilla, Spain;
• Ashley Barber, a junior political science and history major from Roaring River, studying this summer at the University of Stirling, through Butler University’s program in Stirling, Scotland;
• Sheena Hill, a junior biology major from Yadkinville, spending the fall semester in Florence, Italy, at the Lorenzo de Medici Institute;
• Charlotte Townes, a junior studio art major from Boomer, enrolled this fall in the Glasgow School of Art in Glasgow, Scotland;
• Ashley Wall, a senior English major from Siloam, studying in the Honors London and Oxford summer program;
• Lindsay Wall, a junior philosophy and political science major from Kernersville, enrolled in the Denmark International Study summer program in Copenhagen;
• Ronny Gentry, a junior psychology and Italian major from State Road, enrolled this summer at the Lorenzo de Medici Institute in Florence, Italy;
• Sarah Pruitt, a junior international studies major from North Wilkesboro, studying for the summer at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Quito, Ecuador;
• Esther Linnartz, a junior linguistics and English major from Durham, participating this fall in the Honors Semester in London;
• Cory Clark, a junior psychology major from Chapel Hill, also part of the fall Honors Semester in London;
• Mireia Farrell, a sophomore from Charlotte, an exchange student for the 2007-2008 academic year at the Universite Jean Moulin in Lyon, France;
• Jeremy Felton, a senior chemistry major from Newport, an exchange student for the 2007-2008 academic year at the University of Pais Vasco in San Sebastian, Spain, through the TransAtlantic Science Student Exchange Program; and
• Anna Glasgow, a senior biology and environmental science major from Salisbury, attending the School for Field Studies’ fall program at the Center for Wildlife Management Studies in Nairobi National Park and the Kilimanjaro Bush in Kenya.

Grey Lineweaver Study Abroad Scholarship
Grey Lineweaver, a 1962 Carolina graduate from Greensboro, established this scholarship in 2005 with matching funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The fund provides at least one scholarship per year for study in Latin America. 

Recipient Alonna Dawes, a junior business administration major from Asheville, will participate this summer in the UNC APPLES (Assisting People in Planning Learning Experiences in Service) Service-Learning Program and the International Partnership for Service Learning Program at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, in Guadalajara, Mexico. 

Charles A. McLendon Sr. Study Abroad Scholarship
Charles A. McLendon Jr. of New York City, a 1981 Carolina graduate, created the fund supporting this scholarship in 2004 to honor his father, of Greensboro, a retired Burlington Industries executive who traveled extensively overseas. The fund will provide at least one scholarship per year.

Recipient Rebeka Burns, a sophomore studio art major from Coral Springs, Fla., will study this fall at Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy.  

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Study abroad contact: Bob Miles, (919) 962-7002, bob.miles@unc.edu
News Services contact: L.J. Toler, (919) 962-8589