Roy Cooper

When Roy Cooper won The Morehead, he didn’t just get four years of free education. He received a mandate: to live the Morehead ideal.

Today, as attorney general of North Carolina, Cooper tries to reach those lofty standards. “A Morehead Scholarship gives instant credibility,” Cooper said. “It’s an honor which you strive to live up to while an undergraduate and throughout your career.”

For the state’s top law enforcement officer, that has meant protecting consumers from rip-offs, providing safe havens for victims of domestic abuse, and improving DNA evidence and computer forensics. When Cooper’s first term expires in November 2004, he plans to run for re-election.

His commitment to public policy flourished as a UNC student. Cooper rose to chief justice of the Student Supreme Court in the student government and met colleagues who continue to influence his life and career today. Through The Morehead, Cooper developed a love for the law while interning with then-Superior Court Judges Sam Ervin III, Lacy Thornburg, and Forrest Ferrell.

“The lifelong friends and lessons learned at Carolina have made me a better person and a better leader,” Cooper said. “Outstanding professors, classes, work in student government, and participation in summer programs made my undergraduate experience even more than I had hoped for.”