Candice Powell celebrates 20 years of the Carolina Covenant and looks forward to the next 20 years and beyond.
Dear Friends,
Twenty years ago, concerns about college affordability were on the rise. Costs of attendance had gone up across the nation, including here at Carolina. Studies showed that admitted students from low-income backgrounds were among the least likely to graduate even though they were just as academically qualified as their wealthier admitted peers. Shirley Ort — director of the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid from 1997 until 2016 — had a brilliant idea: Combine grants, scholarships and federal work-study to provide a debt-free financial aid package for Carolina’s admitted students with the greatest financial need. Together with the support of Chancellor James Moeser and key University leaders, “The Carolina Covenant” was born. For Ort and Moeser, the moniker was not just a name, but an intention. “The Covenant” would be a promise to families that income would not prevent admitted students from enrolling and graduating from our great University. The program grew steadily in its early years to include social and academic support beyond financial aid, enabling a genealogy of mentoring relationships and life-changing opportunities.
Today, the Carolina Covenant has paved the way for more than 11,000 students to earn a debt-free degree. The program now includes an expanded suite of supports that continues to set a national model for low-income student success across higher education. At a time when college affordability is a national issue, Carolina stands out as a great value in large part to hallmark efforts like the Carolina Covenant. Without a doubt, the Covenant and our Carolina Covenant Scholars are critical to securing Carolina’s value among top-tier public research universities in the world.
Throughout this special year, I invite you to stay connected to our program as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Carolina Covenant. Consider visiting our updated website to see new stories of engagement and impact across our alumni, career, well-being and community initiatives. Please visit us on campus in person or virtually. And get excited with us as we develop the very first strategic plan for the Carolina Covenant program. We can’t wait to share it with you by summer 2025 as a capstone to our anniversary year.
Together, we can keep our Covenant strong into the next 20 years and beyond. Thank you for making this incredible milestone possible.
Sincerely,
Candice Powell ’06, ’21 (PhD)
Director of the Carolina Covenant