Skip to main content
Press

IEI Receives Endowment Gift to Support Hunt Internship

The gift from Gov. and Mrs. James B. Hunt, Jr. supports a paid internship for undergraduate NC State students.

Hunt Intern Shevani Mehta and Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. sit together in conversation.
The first Hunt Intern, Shevani Mehta (left) and Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. (right).

RALEIGH, NC—The Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) at NC State University has received a gift from former Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr. and his wife Carolyn, establishing an endowment that will continue to fund the institute’s Hunt Internship.

The Hunt Internship gives an undergraduate NC State student the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in public policy by working with North Carolinians to address new issues and solve problems facing the state. 

“Carolyn and I are delighted to help NC State students learn more about public policy, and about our ‘Think and Do’ spirit’,” said Hunt. “Young leaders like our first Hunt Intern, Shevani Mehta, will lead us to a better future for North Carolina, and for our nation.”

“This gift from Governor and Mrs. Hunt is igniting interest in public policy for a new generation,” said IEI Interim Director Sarah Langer Hall. “Not only will IEI’s Hunt Intern work on key public policy issues facing North Carolina, they will also develop relationships that will nurture that interest over a lifetime.”   

Shevani Mehta, an NC State senior at the time, served as the first Hunt Intern at IEI during the 2021-2022 academic year.

“Public policy was always something I had been interested in, and the Hunt Internship reaffirmed my commitment to pursuing a policy career,” said Mehta. “Serving as the Hunt Intern showed me that people who are passionate about equity and improving our community have the ability to do so. This internship left me feeling inspired and empowered to make meaningful change.”

Hannah Braun, an NC State student majoring in political science, has been named as the second Hunt Intern and will begin working at IEI this fall.

About the Institute for Emerging Issues

Gov. Hunt founded the Emerging Issues Forum in 1986, which later became the Institute for Emerging Issues at North Carolina State University. IEI is a nonpartisan public policy organization focused on the state’s vibrancy and economic competitiveness. Since 1986, the Emerging Issues Forum has attracted leaders in business, education and public policy to discuss issues with profound implications for North Carolina’s future prosperity. For more than three decades, the Forum has helped catalyze the policy reforms, public investments and other proactive responses required to build an enduring capacity for progress in North Carolina.

###