Red, White & Carolina Blue Scholarship Challenge Helps Service Families
“We are so grateful to the Vetters for a transformative gift that aligns with our core values, upholds Carolina’s commitment to excellence, accessibility and affordability, and also honors the men and women who bravely serve our country. With their gift and their challenge to the Carolina community, we will help enrich the lives of deserving students and their families." - David Routh, Vice Chancellor for University Development
“We are so grateful to the Vetters for a transformative gift that aligns with our core values, upholds Carolina’s commitment to excellence, accessibility and affordability, and also honors the men and women who bravely serve our country. With their gift and their challenge to the Carolina community, we will help enrich the lives of deserving students and their families." - David Routh, Vice Chancellor for University Development
Support a new commitment for the families who make the ultimate commitment for us.
Steve and Debbie Vetter grew up in Marine Corps families, graduated from the base high school at Camp Lejeune and enrolled at Carolina, graduating together in 1978. They understand the sacrifices that service members and their families make, both in serving their country and providing for their children’s educations.
The Vetters have committed $20 million to help open Carolina’s doors to new generations of military dependents and they’re challenging all Tar Heels to match their gift. If met by Oct. 7, 2019, the Red, White and Carolina Blue Challenge will provide a $40 million need-based scholarship fund for students from military families who qualify for the Carolina Covenant. The recipients will be recognized as Steve and Debbie Vetter Military Family Scholars.
Carolina Covenant students Tarik Woods, Esther Kwon, Alex Mina and Shauna Saunders. A new challenge gift from Steve and Debbie Vetter will create Carolina Covenant Scholarships for dependents of service members.
Their gift helped launch For All Kind: The Campaign for Carolina, a $4.25 billion drive which seeks to foster an innovation generation prepared to lead the world to a better future through research and scholarship, example and ethos. This campaign is the largest in the Southeast and the second largest among public institutions in the nation. The Vetters, from Greensboro, committed a total of $40 million to the campaign. Half supports the Red, White and Carolina Blue Challenge and the remainder is split between UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and Carolina Athletics.

Veterans Day ceremony on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. (Johnny Andrews/UNC-Chapel Hill)
“As military dependents ourselves, we are excited to be able to honor our fathers and our families by establishing this program to benefit the children of military service members who wish to attend UNC and who qualify for the Carolina Covenant,” Debbie Vetter said. “Too often, we forget the many sacrifices made by the families of the military and we hope this program will, in some small way, say thank you to those families.”Opens in new window