The list of accomplishments runs long for Tony Waldrop. A member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, Waldrop ran 11 consecutive sub-four-minute miles during his time on the UNC track team. He still holds the NCAA indoor record of 3:55. His face has graced the cover of Track and Field twice.
But those feats don't impress Waldrop as much as one of his other achievements.
"The thing about UNC that I'm most proud of is The Morehead," he says.
Waldrop has returned to his alma mater to lead Carolina's research efforts. The vice chancellor for research and economic development is charged with helping faculty members in their research endeavors, encouraging interdisciplinary activities across campus and fostering programs that promote economic progress. His overall goal: making UNC the country's leading public university.
Waldrop’s commitment to academics emerged early. As a high school runner, he had plenty of athletic scholarship offers. But The Morehead was in a different class.
"I had a number of athletic scholarship offers, and all of them were tempting — until I got The Morehead," he said.
The full ride to UNC — financially crucial for Waldrop's family — combined with the internships and varied courses at Carolina made The Morehead an easy decision.
"The Morehead gave me the opportunity to come to college, and gave me the environment to be successful."
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