Naming gift to establish Luther Hodges Scholars program
The endowment will provide top UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School students with leadership education, cross-sector collaboration skills and undergraduate research opportunities.
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School’s Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise will launch the Luther Hodges Scholars program in fall 2023. The program will serve as a flagship undergraduate excellence program for Kenan-Flagler students committed to addressing the most pressing challenges facing business and society.
Made possible thanks to a naming gift from Carolina alumnus Luther Hodges ’57, the merit-based program will provide a world-class scholarship experience aimed at developing leaders with the skills to work across academia, the private sector and public policy.
Developing cross-sector leaders was an integral component of the commitment by Hodges, an independent financial services professional with strong ties to UNC-Chapel Hill and the state of North Carolina.
“The Hodges family is known not only for their success in business, but also for their unwavering commitment to public service and higher education,” said UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz. “We are grateful for their continued support at Carolina, particularly for a program that will strengthen student success and prepare UNC Kenan-Flagler graduates to address the most challenging issues business and society face both today and in the future.”
The transformational funding builds upon the success of the institute’s previous undergraduate scholarship program, which was initiated in 2016 with support from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Fund.
The program will expand to provide a select group of up to 25 business students each year with:
- Numerous new enrichment opportunities, such as immersive alternative break experiences and cross-sector internship opportunities locally, nationally and abroad.
- Exclusive luncheon roundtables, field trips, conferences and skill-building training.
- One-on-one and group mentoring from top global business, academic and public policy leaders.
- Expanded staff capacity to provide individual career advising, professional development and program coordination.
- Financial support for experiential learning.
- Dedicated faculty to oversee original student research.
- New for-credit courses focused on core competencies of research, leadership and cross-sector collaborations.
- Alumni engagement and postgraduate networking opportunities.
“The Hodges family has succeeded for decades in building connections across sectors to drive opportunity for, and beyond, the state of North Carolina,” said Kim Allen, Luther Hodges Scholars executive director. “Thanks to their generosity, our scholars will now be equipped to do the same.”
To learn more about the Luther Hodges Scholars program, please visit HodgesScholars.unc.edu – or hear from our students directly in this short video.
