The University of North Carolina System has named six students as 2021 Marian Drane Graham Scholars. The scholars will participate in an eight-week immersive and experiential summer program, designed to help the students develop leadership skills and gain a better understanding of key issues facing public higher education.
As a part of the program, the scholars will be placed in a state government agency, where they will gain valuable working experience in the fields of public service and higher education. The program will operate remotely this summer with in-person site visits in July.
We are excited to welcome our six new scholars. This year’s group of scholars has the unique experience of seeing what it has taken to keep our state’s higher education system running during the pandemic and how resilient our universities and state institutions are.
Kimberly van Noort, UNC System senior vice president for academic affairs
Scholars will work with UNC System leaders during the summer, tour individual campuses and visit with key state policy leaders and elected officials in North Carolina and Washington, D.C., in July. Additionally, each scholar will work with UNC System staff to develop and present a capstone project outlining the role of higher education in North Carolina.
This year’s scholars include Megan Pryor ’22 of NC State University who will be placed at the Department of Public Instruction.
Open to rising juniors and seniors, the Marian Drane Graham Scholars Program began in 2013 and is named for Marian Drane Graham, the wife of Frank Porter Graham, the first president of the consolidated UNC System. The program’s namesake reflects its emphasis on pairing scholars who are passionate about education policy and public service with agencies in North Carolina. Learn more about the Marian Drane Graham Scholars Program.
This was originally published by the UNC System. Read the complete press release.