$14 million gift from Harriet Shain Evenson Evenson to fuel scholarships, faculty excellence, and innovative teaching

UNC Greensboro has received the largest philanthropic gift in its history, a 14 million commitment from alumna Harriet Shain Evenson to fuel scholarships, faculty excellence, and innovative teaching at the university’s School of Education and across campus.

For UNC Greensboro—founded as a women’s college and long known for preparing teachers—the scale and specificity of this latest gift mark a watershed moment in its academic evolution.

University officials say the funding will expand support for future educators, deepen the university’s Jewish Studies offerings, and launch a new distinguished professorship focused on artificial intelligence in education, a frontier area with major implications for teaching and learning.

Evenson’s connection to the institution stretches back more than seven decades, to her undergraduate years at what was then Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina. She maintained a four-decade philanthropic relationship with the university, beginning with a modest $25 contribution in the mid-1980s and growing into a pattern of annual giving and named support for students in education. In 2005, she created a scholarship for future teachers in the School of Education, underscoring a personal conviction that access to high-quality training for educators can change the trajectory of entire communities.

That original fund—known as the Harriet Shain & Jerome Evenson Endowed Scholarship—will now be significantly strengthened, broadening both the number of students it can reach and the depth of support it can provide.

University leaders anticipate that the enhanced endowment will underwrite more scholarships for undergraduates committed to careers in teaching, including those preparing to work in public schools where resources are often most constrained.

In practical terms, the expanded scholarship pool is expected to cover tuition support, experiential learning opportunities in classrooms, and in some cases living expenses that can be a barrier for first-generation or low-income students pursuing teaching degrees.

A centerpiece of the gift is the creation of the Jerome Evenson Distinguished Professorship in Artificial Intelligence in Education, a role that will place UNC Greensboro at the intersection of learning science and emerging technology.

The endowed professorship is designed to attract a scholar with expertise in how AI can support instruction, assessment, and student engagement—while also grappling with equity, privacy, and the human dimensions of learning.

University officials say the position will help catalyze research on AI tools for teachers, pilot new classroom technologies, and ensure future educators are trained to use digital tools thoughtfully rather than being displaced by them.

Faculty in the School of Education have already been exploring digital learning platforms and data-informed teaching, and the new professorship is expected to accelerate that work.

With a named chair focused specifically on AI in education, UNC Greensboro will be positioned to compete for research grants, recruit graduate students interested in educational technology, and form partnerships with school districts looking to navigate the rapidly changing digital landscape.

The role also signals to current students—many of whom will enter classrooms where AI tools are ubiquitous—that the university is investing in the skills and frameworks they will need over the course of their careers.

Beyond education technology, the commitment also directs resources to the university’s Jewish Studies program, an interdisciplinary area that touches history, religion, culture, and ethics. Support for Jewish Studies will allow UNC Greensboro to expand course offerings, student research, and public programming that explores Jewish life and thought in global context.

In a period when campuses are wrestling with questions of identity, pluralism, and civic discourse, enhanced funding for Jewish Studies can help sustain nuanced scholarship and dialogue, as well as create more opportunities for students of all backgrounds to engage with Jewish history and contemporary issues.

The gift also reflects Evenson’s long-standing interest in teacher preparation, a field that has come under intense pressure amid national shortages of qualified educators and rising expectations for K–12 schools. UNC Greensboro, as a regional hub for education training, plays a central role in supplying teachers to North Carolina districts, particularly in communities where recruiting and retaining talent can be challenging.

Administrators say the additional funding will help the university deepen partnerships with local schools, expand mentoring and residency programs, and equip candidates with the tools to navigate increasingly complex classrooms.

Donor records show that Evenson’s support for UNC Greensboro was notable not just for its financial scale but for its consistency. Over roughly four decades, she gave regularly to the annual fund, then shifted to targeted philanthropy through named scholarships, steadily aligning her giving with the university’s mission of preparing educators and expanding access to higher education.

That progression, university advancement officials note, offers a model of how long-term donor engagement can evolve from modest gifts to transformational investments without ever losing sight of the original intent.

In announcing the gift in late June, university leaders emphasized that the funds will be stewarded to honor both the couple’s name and the values that shaped their philanthropy.

Plans include naming the School of Education building for Harriet Shain and Jerome Evenson, a visible marker on campus of the family’s belief in the power of teaching and learning. The naming will serve as a daily reminder to students and faculty of the role that individual philanthropy can play in extending educational opportunity to new generations.

The scale of the commitment resets the bar for private support at UNC Greensboro, surpassing prior records for single gifts and reinforcing the ambitions of its broader fundraising efforts. It also comes at a time when many public universities are increasingly reliant on private donations to sustain academic programs, launch new initiatives, and keep tuition manageable. For UNC Greensboro, the timing is especially significant: the gift complements the university’s ongoing campaign to “light the way” for students and underscores the role alumni can play in shaping the institution’s next chapter.

Evenson’s philanthropy also extended beyond campus, including support for her family synagogue and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Those commitments, combined with the provisions for Jewish Studies and education at UNC Greensboro, sketch a broader portrait of a donor concerned with memory, moral responsibility, and the training of future generations.

Taken together, they reflect a philosophy of giving that is as much about strengthening civic and cultural institutions as it is about helping individual students.

For students who will receive scholarships under the expanded Harriet Shain & Jerome Evenson fund, the impact will be concrete: the ability to stay enrolled, reduce work hours, complete student teaching placements, or pursue graduate study in education.

For faculty, the Jerome Evenson Distinguished Professorship promises a platform to push the boundaries of how AI can serve human learning, rather than the other way around.

And for UNC Greensboro as an institution, the record-setting gift anchors a future in which its historic strength in teacher preparation is paired with cutting-edge research and a deeper commitment to campus pluralism.