Linda Upperman Smith, daughter of longtime Wilmington physician Dr. Leroy Upperman, is pulling the plug on new scholarships at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, choosing to move a roughly $1 million endowment rather than rewrite its terms to fit the UNC System’s new equality policy. For decades, the fund has backed students who show a clear commitment to the African American community. Smith said students already receiving the scholarship will keep their awards through graduation.
As first reported by WHQR and later detailed by The News & Observer, UNCW informed donors that language giving “special consideration” to students who work with the African American community has to go under the system’s new rules. University officials told reporters the Uppermans’ endowment is worth about $1 million and brings in tens of thousands of dollars in awards each year, typically enough to support three to four students at a time.
Board of Governors Policy At The Center Of The Fight
The UNC Board of Governors voted in May 2024 to scrap its previous diversity, equity and inclusion guidance and replace it with a policy titled “Equality Within the University of North Carolina.” The new rules emphasize institutional neutrality and caution against compelled speech. They also require every campus to review donor agreements and certify they comply with the policy. According to the UNC Policy Manual, university attorneys say that process can force the rewording or removal of scholarship preferences tied to race or other aspects of identity.
UNCW Scholarship Review Flags Dozens Of Agreements
UNCW officials told WHQR that the university’s internal review examined about 81 privately funded scholarships. The Office of General Counsel concluded that 18 active awards did not meet the equality policy’s standards. Vice Chancellor for Advancement Eddie Stuart said many donors are choosing to rework their scholarship language to stay at UNCW. The Upperman family, however, refused to alter a mission they see as inseparable from their father’s legacy.
What Current And Future Students Stand To Gain Or Lose
Both UNCW and the family say the three remaining Upperman scholars will keep receiving their funds until they graduate. Smith told reporters she intends to move the entire endowment once the last of those students finishes a degree at the university. She said Howard University, where Dr. Leroy Upperman attended medical school, is the leading candidate to receive the fund. That shift would send future awards to a historically Black university with a larger Black student population, according to The News & Observer.
One Local Flashpoint In A Bigger Donor Backlash
The Upperman decision is part of a broader wave of donor responses as universities adjust to the new policy landscape and mounting legal pressure on DEI programs. Inside Higher Ed has highlighted similar moves elsewhere, noting that both colleges and philanthropists are still feeling their way through the policy’s practical and legal gray areas.
Legacy, Naming Rights And Unfinished Business In Wilmington
Smith said she plans to continue supporting the Upperman African American Cultural Center at UNCW as long as “African American” remains in its name. She has framed the scholarship withdrawal as an effort to safeguard her father’s original intent after decades of giving in Wilmington. University leaders say they are still talking with the family and are also working with other donors to find ways to honor donor intent while staying inside system rules. Local reporting indicates that any formal transfer of the Upperman funds would occur only after the current scholarship recipients have completed their studies, according to WECT.
_176.jpg){kind=link}