September 10, 2010 – Dr. Samuel W. Jones, MD, NC Jaycee Burn Center, has assumed leadership of the Carolina Covenant Allied Health Program. In his role as program coordinator, Dr. Jones will organize monthly seminars for Carolina Covenant Scholars interested in any of a broad range of health careers.
The seminars are intended to provide scholars with an an opportunity to meet with and learn from current professionals. Dr. Jones has expanded the program beyond prior years’ focus on pre-med students to include those interested in a multitude of healthcare careers, including nursing, dentistry, physical therapy, etc.
Other physicians involved with the Health Program: Drs. Bruce Cairns, NC Jaycee Burn Center; Matthew Ewend, Neurosurgery; Julie Byerley, Pediatrics; Kenya McNeal-Trice, Pediatrics; Lisa Cary, Lineberger Cancer Center; and Charlie van der Horst, Infectious Diseases.
The Carolina Covenant Scholars Program is a commitment by the University that provides eligible low-income students admitted to Carolina an enrollment that is free of financial pressures. In fact, the program guarantees that if students participate in the work-study program for about 10-12 hours per week, they can graduate debt-free. Along with the financial assistance, Covenant Scholars also receive academic and personal support services to help ensure that each Scholar makes the most of his or her college experience and succeeds in completing the undergraduate degree program. Fred Clark, Academic Coordinator, and Michael Highland, Assistant Academic Coordinator, work fulltime to ensure that each student receives the academic support necessary to achieve this goal. The Carolina Covenant Scholars Program has been instrumental in making Carolina accessible to students across a much wider spectrum of socioeconomic backgrounds. In 2004, the first year of the Carolina Covenant, 4% of the incoming first-year students were Covenant Scholars; however, as evidenced by the 13% make up of Covenant Scholars in the 2010 freshman class, the program has grown significantly over the past six years.