University of North Carolina Athletics
President Friday Makes Donation To Carolina Leadership Academy
January 31, 2005 | General
Jan. 31, 2005
CHAPEL HILL --- William Friday, University of North Carolina president
emeritus and chairman of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics,
recently was named recipient of the NCAA President's Gerald R. Ford Award.
Mr. Friday donated the $25,000 grant from the award to the Carolina athletic
department, specifically to the Carolina Leadership Academy.
NCAA President Myles Brand presented the Ford Award to Mr. Friday at the opening business session of the 2005 NCAA Convention on January 8, 2005, in Grapevine, Texas.
"The grant from the NCAA to the Carolina Leadership Academy is especially fitting because of the University's long tradition of leadership in this country in intercollegiate athletics," says Mr. Friday. "I am delighted to see the Carolina Leadership Academy get this kind of support."
The Ford Award, named in recognition of former President Gerald Ford, honors an individual who has provided significant leadership as an advocate for intercollegiate athletics on a continuous basis over the course of his or her career. This is the second year the NCAA has presented the award.
The Carolina Leadership Academy is in its first year training Tar Heel student-athletes, coaches and athletic administrators in leadership skills. The comprehensive program was initiated by Director of Athletics Dick addour and is coordinated by Senior Associate A.D. John Blanchard and Jeff Janssen, an instructor on leadership development. The program's goal is to "develop world class leaders for a lifetime of success." It is built on the belief that leadership skills are of necessary value to student-athletes when they are enrolled at Carolina and for life after college,
"Carolina Athletics is extremely grateful and proud to have the Leadership Academy be the beneficiary of Mr. Friday's prestigious grant," says Baddour. "Mr. Friday embodies institutional athletics integrity and he understands the need for athletics to be a catalyst for leadership development. His grant will make a direct impact on student-athletes and the Leadership Academy's ability to better serve them."
Friday's service on the White House Task Force on Education and his work with the Carnegie Commission on the Future of American Education and the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics have made him an influential figure in intercollegiate athletics in North Carolina and across the country.
