Equity questions surround Morehead-Cain scholarship nomination process

Socio-economic equity concerns surrounding Morehead-Cain Scholarship nominations for both sophomore and first-year applicants were reignited by the Nov. 4 announcement of the Morehead-Cain Foundation’s new Sophomore Selection Scholars. 

Some Morehead-Cain recipients questioned the program’s equity, while others commended diversity and inclusivity among scholars.

First-year nomination process

Selected incoming first-year and sophomore students are awarded the scholarship, which covers the full cost of tuition at UNC and provides additional funding for outside experiences. 

Any high school senior from North Carolina can apply with a nomination from their school, affiliate program or by self-nomination. Out-of-state students from the United States and international students cannot self-nominate. 

Class of 2028 Morehead-Cain scholar Neha Jumani was awarded the scholarship as a first-year. Jumani self-nominated because she didn’t receive one of the five available nominations from her public high school in Wake County, North Carolina. 

She said that getting accepted through self-nomination is harder than if nominated by a school, but definitely possible. 

Class of 2027 Morehead-Cain Scholar Macca Aiuto, an international student from England, was also selected as a first-year. 

Aiuto said she could only gain her scholarship nomination through an affiliated program in the United Kingdom — the Sutton Trust —because her high school was public. The only U.K. schools with nominating status are private, she said.

Sophomore nominations

In a process that began last year, the Morehead-Cain Foundation annually selects a group of 12 to 15 sophomore scholars, separate from the first-year class. 

To apply, UNC sophomores must be nominated for the scholarship by professors, department heads and teaching assistants, as well as staff of scholarship, service, extracurricular and cultural programs, Morehead-Cain Communications wrote in an email to The Daily Tar Heel.

In 2023, the Morehead-Cain Foundation did not make an official announcement that an application would be open to sophomores. Only sophomore students with personal nominations were informed. 

This year, the private nature of the sophomore nomination process remained.

Class of 2027 Morehead-Cain scholar Wade Guerra was admitted through this year’s Sophomore Selection. As an Honors Carolina student, he was nominated by his honors career coach. 

Guerra said that honors coaches can typically nominate one or two students and that there are a select number of University faculty with this nominating power, saying that many students requested sophomore nominations.

Guerra said he felt those who requested nominations were already in the know about the process.

“I thought that [requested nominations] weren’t necessarily as deserved,” he said. “Like, it should be kind of an anonymous thing, where it’s like, whoever really deserves it should get nominated.”

When asked how Morehead-Cain promotes equity and inclusion in sophomore nominations, Communications wrote in its email to The DTH that they value the wisdom and input of those who work with and observe young people's leadership and character every day.

Equity among scholars

Aiuto said as a student from a low-income background in a rural area, she did notice many scholars are from affluent families, areas or private schools.

She also said that Morehead-Cain leadership and advisors tend to be less communicative when concerns about equity are brought to their attention.

“I think they don't want to recognize that they are benefiting wealthier people more than they are benefiting people who probably could use the scholarship more, if that makes sense,” Aiuto said.

Jumani said the thoroughness of the first-year scholarship application ensures the program’s scholars are diverse in their experiences.

“Like, that's one of the biggest things that I hear people talk about through Morehead,” Jumani said. “It's not really like, ‘how much have you accomplished in high school?’ It's more like, ‘what kind of person did you become in high school?’”

The Morehead-Cain Foundation looks for leaders of high character and intellect who seek to leave a positive impact on Carolina and the world, according to their website. 

Aiuto said the Foundation does a good job of adhering to these criteria when choosing scholars.

“However, having said that, it's a lot easier to do something that positively impacts your community when you are in an area that gives you those resources to do so,” she said

It would be beneficial, Aiuto said, if there was somewhere on the application to explain extenuating circumstances.

Jumani also said coming from a larger school with more resources was part of why she could make an impact. But, she said many accepted scholars didn’t have those opportunities and took advantage of what they did have.

“As long as you were impactful in the community in like, the best way that you possibly could have been, I think [Morehead-Cain] really value[s] that,” Jumani said. 

Aiuto said Morehead-Cain could increase its outreach to more rural areas and low-income communities. She also said the Foundation could give more schools and programs nominating status. 

Communications wrote in its email, “Each year, we seek to extend our affiliate nominator partnerships and expand our reach into communities across the state, nation and world.”

Jumani said she finds the program very inclusive and diverse, with scholars from various social, religious, racial and ethnic backgrounds. 

On its website, Morehead-Cain states it is an equal opportunity organization, with a policy prohibiting discrimination against any nominee or applicant on the basis of any legally-protected identifier.

“I think the entire program is made to, like, treat everyone with the same level of support,” Jumani said.

In their email, Communications also stated the Foundation could not provide specific demographic information on applicants.

Communications told The DTH that they could not accommodate an interview with President Chris Bradford  by the time of publication. They subsequently denied The DTH’s request for interview with other admissions staff members.

@reganxbutler

@dailytarheel | university@dailytarheel.com