Honors crunch hits scholars

One hundred million dollars only goes so far. For the Morehead-Cain Foundation the $100 million donation in early February from the Cain Foundation in Texas will mean an increase in scholarships and programming. The gift has almost doubled the foundation's endowment and will allow for future growth. In order to reap the benefits of an expansion, officials said UNC's Honors Program will need to accommodate more students. But the program needs a large gift in order to expand to admit more students. About 200 new students are admitted each year, and officials said they hope to increase that number by 90 percent to 380 students. To accomplish that goal, officials said the program would need an endowment of $25 million. James Leloudis, associate dean for honors and director of the Johnston Center, said the Cain grant has brought into focus many issues plaguing other areas of UNC. He noted the need for the University to be able to offer prospective students both a merit scholarship and a place in the Honors Program. "Increasingly our peers are doing that," he said. "What it really boils down to is how do we maximize our yield for the best undergraduate talent." Bobbi Owen, senior associate dean for undergraduate education, is in the process of preparing a report on the Honors Program to present to the University affairs committee of the Board of Trustees at its May 24 meeting. "A lot of times students who are focused on smaller liberal arts universities see the Honors Program as a way to make the decision to come to UNC easier," said Chuck Lovelace, director of the Morehead-Cain Foundation. "That's not just for Morehead-Cain students but for students in general. It's an important recruiting tool for the University in addition to being a strong educational program." The Morehead scholarship program was established in 1951 as the first nonathletic merit scholarship in the country. It offers recipients a full scholarship to attend UNC including room and board and a monthly stipend. Students are chosen based on their achievement in four areas - leadership, scholarship, moral force of character and physical vigor. And though the Honors Program also emphasizes these qualities, not all Morehead-Cain Scholars are in the Honors Program. About two-thirds of current Moreheads are honors students, Leloudis said. But Morehead students not in the Honors Program can graduate with honors even without participating in the program. "There is this disjunct between the undergraduate honors experience and what it means to graduate with honors," said Student Body President Eve Carson, who is a Morehead-Cain scholar in the Honors Program. Morehead-Cain scholars make up 1 percent of the undergraduate population. Lovelace said the program is aiming to increase the number the scholars to make up 2 percent of future incoming classes. That would raise the number of scholarship recipients to about 75 or 80 students, he said, noting that the program is looking to enroll about 75 students in the fall 2008 class. To achieve this higher enrollment goal, the two programs must grow together. Leloudis said an invitation to the Honors Program is often what secures scholarship recipients enrollment at UNC. "Honors is very important for our reputation as an institution," Leloudis said. "That's important for all of us as a community. That dovetails with the interests and concerns with not only the Morehead but all the merit scholarships." Owen said the Honors Program's long-term goal for more students would require 14 to 16 new faculty positions to effectively support the program. "Could it be bigger? Yes. It can't be bigger with our current resources," Owen said. "I want to offer more small classes for students at Carolina, not just students in the Honors Program. "But when we offer more small classes for honors students everyone benefits." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.