NC-HCAP News

North Carolina Health Careers Access Program receives endowment
07.13.07

CHAPEL HILL – The North Carolina Health Careers Access Program (NC-HCAP) has received an endowment from Dr. Robert M. Selden III for the organization’s Science Enrichment Preparation (SEP) Program. The Robert M. Selden III Award Fund will provide long term support to help sustain the longevity and continued existence of the SEP Program.

“We are so grateful to Rob for his generous gift,” says Patrena Benton, NC-HCAP interim executive director. “He is a true believer in this program and, with the creation of this endowment, has demonstrated his commitment to its continued success.”

Selden was a standout scholar in the 1992 SEP Program. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He received his doctor of dental surgery degree in 1998 and a master’s degree in orthodontics in 2001, both from the UNC School of Dentistry. Selden has a private orthodontics practice in Huntersville, N.C. and is an adjunct faculty member at the UNC School of Dentistry.

He credits much of his success to NC-HCAP and the SEP Program. “When I think back on the people and opportunities that shaped my experience as I matriculated through school, I have only fond memories of my summer with SEP. Many of the contacts that I established and all of the study skills developed made reaching my goal easier,” says Selden. “I want to make sure that other students get the same advantages that I had so that there is not a health care disparity in the future.”

The SEP Program is an eight-week, honors-level academic enrichment program for disadvantaged undergraduate students planning to pursue careers in health care. This academically rigorous program aims to increase students’ preparedness for entry into graduate and health professional school.

Founded in 1971 by Dr. Cecil G. Sheps, the North Carolina Health Careers Access Program offers programs and services for underrepresented minorities and individuals from educationally or economically disadvantaged backgrounds to be educated, trained and employed in health professions. For more information about the Program, visit nc-hcap.unc.edu.