22 UNC students to study in Asia as Phillips Ambassadors

From the UNC News Services

April 25, 2007

CHAPEL HILL – The first class of Phillips Ambassadors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – 22 students in 14 different study-abroad programs – will study in Asia this summer or during the 2007-2008 academic year.

Chosen from among 98 applicants, the students have been awarded scholarships for study in China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Vietnam and Japan.

High Point businessman Earl N. “Phil” Phillips Jr. created the Phillips Ambassadors Program with a generous gift to UNC-Chapel Hill’s College of Arts and Sciences last fall. He calls Asia “an increasingly vital region of the world.” Phillips’ gift created an endowment to provide scholarships for up to 50 undergraduates annually.

A quarter of the scholarships are reserved for qualified undergraduate business majors and minors from Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Phillips, a business executive and former U.S. Ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Carolina in 1962. He is a former chair of Carolina’s board of trustees and of N.C. Citizens for Business and Industry.

Phillips co-chaired North Carolinians for Educational Opportunity 2000, which led and promoted the successful $3.2 billion referendum for capital improvements at UNC campuses and the state’s community colleges. He has served on the UNC-Chapel Hill Endowment Board and the UNC Board of Governors and received a William R. Davie Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Carolina campus’ board of trustees.

“This first class of Phillips Ambassadors represents an important step in my long-term goal for every Carolina undergraduate to have an international experience before they graduate,” Phillips said.

Internationalization is a key academic priority of UNC-Chapel Hill. In February, officials announced a joint undergraduate degree program in which students from Carolina and the National University of Singapore spend two to four semesters at the other institution and graduate with a joint degree. The program is believed to be the first for undergraduates outside a professional school among Carolina’s U.S. peer campuses.

This spring, the university’s international programs moved under one roof with the opening of the FedEx Global Education Center at the corner of Pittsboro and McCauley streets.

For more information about the Phillips Ambassadors Program, visit http://studyabroad.unc.edu/phillips/index.cfm.

The new Phillips Ambassadors are listed below, alphabetically by N.C. hometown and then by state. Their Asia destinations, terms and academic majors also are listed.

North Carolina participants:

Carrboro
Alvaro De La Iglesia, China, fall 2007, Asian studies

Cary
Vishwan Pamarthi, China, summer 2007, biology

Chapel Hill
Nathan Guerin, China, 2007-2008, international and area studies, music

Cayley Pater, India, summer 2007, linguistics, religious studies

Charlotte
Melissa Brzycki, China, fall 2007, political science

Thomas McElwee, Vietnam and Hong Kong, summer 2007, Spanish

High Point
Sarah Jacobs, China, summer 2007, international and area studies

Jacksonville
Rebecca Archer, Japan, summer 2007, Asian studies

McLeansville
Ramsey Cardwell, China, fall 2007, chemistry, Asian studies

Raleigh
Amelia Black, India, summer 2007, communication studies

Roxboro
Derek Paylor, China, summer 2007, international and area studies, Asian studies

Siler City
William Hobbs, Hong Kong, 2007-2008, economics

Statesville
Elizabeth Ramsey, India, summer 2007, peace, war and defense

Waxhaw
Adam Schaffernoth, China, summer 2007, business administration

Winston-Salem
Angela Kale, Singapore, fall 2007, business administration

Timothy Shelburne Jr., China, summer 2007, mathematics, music

Out-of-state participants:

California
Lynnette Miner of Irvine: Korea, summer 2007, political science, economics

Colorado
Habib Yazdi of Boulder: India, summer 2007, communication studies

Florida
Katherine Saulpaugh of Orlando: India, summer 2007, English

Maryland
Julia Furlong of Baltimore: India, summer 2007, business administration

New Hampshire
Callie Brauel of North Conway: Hong Kong, summer 2007, business administration

Matthew Hamel of Chocorua: Hong Kong, summer 2007, business administration

Study abroad Web site: http://studyabroad.unc.edu.

College of Arts and Sciences contact: Kim Spurr, (919) 962-4093, spurrk@email.unc.edu