Thank You!

A SUCCESS STORY 

The historic ‘Fill the Western Sky’ fundraising campaign concludes with a total of more than $110 million in gifts  

By BILL STUDENC MPA ’10 

Western Carolina University’s “Fill the Western Sky” comprehensive fundraising campaign, a multiyear effort to seek philanthropic support for the overall student experience – including academics, athletics, and community and global engagement – has concluded with a record-breaking tally topping $110 million. 

More than 15,200 donors contributed to the unprecedented campaign, only the third in university history and the first with a significant focus on raising money for improvements to WCU’s athletics facilities. 

Launched shortly after the arrival of Chancellor Kelli R. Brown in 2019, the effort began with a leadership phase designed to help lay the foundation for success by building a base of major gifts of a minimum of six figures. It was during the campaign’s early days that university leaders realized they were already on the verge of meeting an initial goal of raising $75 million and decided to up the ante to $100 million. 

Guided by a 43-member campaign steering committee, “Fill the Western Sky” entered its public phase in January 2025, an event postponed from October 2024 in the wake of widespread destruction across Western North Carolina spawned by flooding from Hurricane Helene. The campaign ended June 30 with a grand total of $110,883,442.69 in gifts, pledges and private grants. 

“The successful conclusion of the ‘Fill the Western Sky’ campaign is a historic milestone for Western Carolina University and a powerful testament to the generosity and belief of Catamount Nation. Surpassing our original goal and raising more than $110 million – the largest fundraising effort in our university’s history – will create opportunities for students, strengthen academic excellence and expand our impact across the region for generations to come,” Brown said. 

A total of 15,234 individual donors made gifts and pledges during the campaign. Of that total, 8,564 were first-time donors, which means that more than 56 percent of all gifts during “Fill the Western Sky” were from supporters making their first-ever gift to WCU. The university received nearly 65,000 philanthropic contributions during the campaign – 64,953 to be exact. The final tally comprises $62,987,690.61 in cash gifts (including $10,334,203.66 in private grants), $5,740,539.08 in pledge balances and $42,155,213 in planned gifts. 

“I am deeply grateful to every donor who invested in WCU’s future and their unwavering commitment, advocacy and philanthropy that helped make this extraordinary achievement possible,” Brown said. 

A total of 5,620 donors contributed more than $2.2 million during the four “One Day for Western” initiatives held during the life of the campaign. Launched in 2023, “One Day for Western” is WCU’s annual all-in day of giving designed to benefit multiple areas of the university by inviting community members to make donations to priorities identified by campus partners. 

“Those focused giving days have been built around campaign and annual priorities, and they’ve certainly helped us establish a new rallying point in the fundraising year and cadence to concentrate momentum and messaging,” said James Hogan ’03, assistant vice chancellor for engagement.  

More than 20 percent of gifts during the campaign came from WCU alumni, including those with undergraduate and graduate degrees and those who did not earn degrees. That is a point of pride for John Connet ’92, former president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. 

“Western Carolina University is a very special place, and the alumni want to support our great university. They recognize Chancellor Brown’s vision to make WCU the top regional university in North Carolina and know that their support is critical to make this happen,” said Connet. “I continuously hear about the great things going on in Cullowhee. I have known this for years, but to hear that from other people makes me extremely proud and confirms that my donations are being spent wisely.”  

LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD 

As WCU’s only comprehensive campaign to prioritize support for improvements to long-in-the-tooth facilities used by Catamount student-athletes, “Fill the Western Sky” garnered nearly $30 million in gifts and pledges for the athletics program, with most of those funds designated for facilities. 

A significant chunk of total funding for athletics took the form of donations from alumni of WCU’s fraternities and sororities through the annual Greek Challenge, one of the Catamount Club’s largest and most successful fundraising initiatives since its inception in 2014. The competition pits Greek-letter organizations against each other to see who can raise the most money in support of Catamount athletics. 

Under an updated scoring rubric beginning in 2024-2025, participating fraternities and sororities receive points for total number of donors, new donors and dollars raised. The challenge is broken down into four flights based on the size of each organization’s membership, a step designed to make the event more equitable. 

The overall philanthropic contributions of WCU’s fraternities and sororities in support of the athletics program during the entirety of the “Fill the Western Sky” campaign through June 30, 2026, totaled $10,224,562. 

Current students also are playing an important role in providing resources to improve WCU’s athletics facilities. With the advocacy of former president Rebecca Hart ’22, the Student Government Association approved a resolution in 2021 supporting a proposed increase in the mandatory student athletics fee, with revenue generated to go toward athletics facilities. That increase, now in effect after subsequent approval by the WCU Board of Trustees and University of North Carolina Board of Governors, will generate an estimated $30 million to supplement philanthropic gifts, said current SGA president Grady Jones ’26, now a WCU graduate student. 

“The individuals who will benefit most directly from these upgraded facilities are student-athletes. As the name makes clear, they are students first – our classmates, our friends, our neighbors. They compete with passion and represent us with pride, and they deserve facilities that match their commitment,” Jones said in June 2025. “And this isn’t just for athletes. All students benefit when our campus becomes a hub of pride and tradition. From tailgates to touchdowns, sporting events help shape the college experience. They connect us today and bring us back tomorrow – as alumni, as mentors, as lifelong Catamounts.” 

In addition, the state of North Carolina appropriated nearly $3 million toward the project to enable it to be transformed into the university’s emergency operations center during times of crisis. 

Mike Crawford ’87, chair of the WCU Foundation Board of Directors, said that the time was right for a campaign with a focus on athletics facilities improvements. “Academics at Western have been very successful, thanks to the leadership of many over the past decades,” Crawford said. “I have watched what winning football national championships has done for Clemson. It not only attracts great students for academics, but it is a catalyst for major donations to support both academics and athletics.” 

FILLING THE WESTERN SKYBOX 

Many of the donors to “Fill the Western Sky” gathered Friday, Aug. 28, for a gala to celebrate the historic campaign and to get a first look at perhaps the most tangible result of the fundraising effort, a highly anticipated $37 million upgrade to the west side stands of WCU’s aging E.J. Whitmire Stadium. New LED lighting, an upgraded video board and a new artificial playing surface will debut, bringing the stadium renovation total to $40 million. 

The long-awaited renovation includes a new press box and media center, coaches’ offices, and a hospitality area called the “Western Skybox,” a nod to the campaign that made improvements possible. The four-story Phillips Football Center expansion contains nearly 10,000 square feet of space for coaching, media, and game-day operations and hospitality. The football operations area consists of 12 offices, offensive and defensive conference rooms, and multiple meeting spaces. 

The upgraded media center, named in honor of WCU’s legendary retired sports information director Steve White ’67  through more than $500,000 in donations, accommodates approximately 155 people and includes game day coaching booths. The new hospitality level offers a premium experience for more than 200 guests. 

Including the media center, the stadium expansion contains 27 spaces – coaches’ offices, video balconies, conference rooms, entry gates and atriums – named in recognition of donors making contributions of $100,000 or more during the campaign. 

Elsewhere, a student-athlete success center located in Jordan-Phillips Fieldhouse is named after Chancellor Brown and husband Dennis in recognition of one of their many gifts to the campaign. 

In addition, the stadium patio area formerly known as Catamount Corner has been rebranded Champion Credit Union Corner after being sponsored by the Haywood County-based financial institution where former Catamount basketball standout Jake Robinson ’10, vice chair of WCU’s Board of Trustees, serves as president and CEO. 

Contributions to the campaign are funding more than facilities enhancements alone. Each of WCU’s 16 intercollegiate sports teams received program-specific support from donors, and several teams now have endowments providing financial resources in perpetuity to those programs – including track and field, baseball, soccer, softball and men’s golf. 

The campaign will have a dramatic impact on the athletics program at WCU, said Eddie Wells ’03, president of the Catamount Club. “This campaign reflects the power of our Catamount community. Together, alumni and friends are creating a transformational future for WCU athletics and our student-athletes,” said Wells. 

“While it is important for Catamount Nation to pause to celebrate the success of the ‘Fill the Western Sky’ campaign, it’s even more important to know that this is not the end of the game,” he said. “The momentum of this campaign is more like a launching pad as we look forward to continuing to make needed upgrades to our athletics facilities.” 

BOOSTING THE ACADEMIC PROFILE 

On the academic side of the campaign ledger, donors poured in $73,546,967.18 to enhance scholarly activities and programs, provide a more robust classroom experience and increase extracurricular initiatives ranging from international study opportunities to undergraduate research and from support for internships to new endowed scholarships in multiple disciplines. 

The campaign injected a total of $833,962.15 into newly created programmatic excellence endowments housed in each of WCU’s undergraduate colleges. Each college dean administers the funds to supplement classroom instruction through enhanced learning initiatives such as traveling to professional conferences, participating in academic competitions, taking advantage of study abroad activities and conducting research. 

Throughout the campaign, financial commitments from numerous donors also created named endowments across WCU’s academic spectrum. For example, retired Jackson County dentist Patrick McGuire and wife Jeanne made gifts and pledges supporting the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Fine and Performing Arts, and Education and Allied Professions through three separate funds known as the Patrick and Jeanne McGuire Legacy Endowments in each college. 

Longtime Brinson Honors College advocates Mark and Kathy Whitehead Jr. continued to add to their legacy of support of WCU’s residential college for high-achieving students. During the final year of the campaign, the Whiteheads created three new endowments providing assistance to Honors College students, bringing the total number of endowed scholarships they have established to 10 since their first in 2015. 

And, an estate legacy gift in excess of $10 million from David Moore and Darren Whatley – the largest planned gift in university history – will support WCU’s academic activities abroad, including the hosting of international students, faculty-led travel and study abroad programs, and other resources; the School of Art and Design; and programs in the Brinson Honors College. 

Those funds represent the tip of the iceberg in terms of endowed funds supporting academic programs and student initiatives since the launch of the campaign. The effort established 180 new active funds including 99 endowed scholarships, 62 annual scholarships and the excellence endowments in each college. 

Among the academics-directed gifts arriving near the end the campaign was a $200,000 commitment from First Citizens Bank in support of laboratory space providing students in the College of Business with access to real-time stock market trading information. 

A.J. Grube, the college’s dean, said the First Citizens Bank Trading Lab will offer invaluable real-world learning opportunities to students preparing for careers in the financial industry and improved access to professional resources for faculty. “The trading and investment lab is a game-changer for College of Business students and faculty,” Grube said. “By providing real-time financial data, it strengthens projects and research, which positions our students for competitive careers in the financial sector.” 

The remaining roughly $7.3 million donated during the campaign is supporting initiatives such as the Highlands Biological Station, Base Camp Cullowhee, Mountain Heritage Day, Campus Recreation, and student and staff emergency funds. 

LOOKING TOWARD THE NEXT HORIZON 

With the successful conclusion of “Fill the Western Sky,” the university has turned attention to new priorities for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, including an effort to raise $1.5 million for unrestricted scholarships. The initiative is designed to generate additional resources for WCU’s existing Catamount Commitment, which provides annual financial support to students from North Carolina based on academic performance and interests. 

When it was launched in 2023, only first-year students were eligible to receive financial assistance through the program. Beginning in 2025, students who earn degrees and transfer directly from a North Carolina community college to WCU became eligible for the Catamount Commitment Scholarship. The growth of interest in the program has put a strain on the pool of money available for student assistance – hence the effort to boost philanthropic support. 

Also on tap looking forward is an effort to obtain $13 million in funding for a new strength and conditioning center to serve all Catamount teams. The state-of-the-art facility will be a central hub for strength training, conditioning, recovery and competition preparation, serving the more than 350 student-athletes who don the Purple and Gold. 

The center is designed to meet the evolving needs of today’s student-athletes, offering dedicated space for year-round training while emphasizing injury prevention, recovery and overall well-being, said Kyle Pifer, director of athletics. “Expansive training areas, cutting-edge equipment and a welcoming atmosphere will help student-athletes reach their full potential both on and off the field,” Pifer said. 

“More than an athletics facility, the strength and conditioning center represents an investment in the holistic development of Catamount student-athletes. By creating a premier training environment, WCU is strengthening its ability to recruit and retain top talent while ensuring every student-athlete has the resources needed to compete at the highest level,” he said. 

At the “Fill the Western Sky” closing gala in August, one day before the expanded E.J. Whitmire Stadium enjoyed its public debut at the season-opening football game, Ben Pendry ’07, vice chancellor for advancement, expressed appreciation to those who helped the campaign shatter its fundraising goal and optimism about WCU’s new philanthropic priorities. 

“Make no mistake – the passion that people feel for this place, the dearest spot of all, is powerful. It is palpable. And it is profound,” Pendry said. “I hope you share my belief that there has never been a better time to be affiliated with the Catamount Nation. The future is bright for our beloved university, for the students who come here for the opportunities offered through higher education and for the region we were founded to serve.” 

TOGETHER, WE 

FILLED THE WESTERN SKY

“During our short time here, Dennis and I have learned what a difference WCU makes in the lives of students. We have seen the transformative effect it has for students, their families and ultimately the communities in which they live,” she said. “We wanted to have an impact on the full student experience.”

– Chancellor Brown