University of North Carolina Athletics
Ken & Cheryl Williams Make $10 Million Gift
November 7, 2016 | General
CHAPEL HILL – Ken and Cheryl Williams of Burlington, N.C., have given a $10 million leadership gift to support Tar Heel Athletics at the University of North Carolina. The Rams Club announced the gift on Saturday November 5 during an on-field presentation at the UNC-Georgia Tech football game at Kenan Stadium.
“We see the high level of excellence and commitment demonstrated by our student-athletes and coaches every day, and we want to support that,” say the Williamses. “It is incredibly important to us that we continue to offer the opportunities that the scholarships provide, as well as the facilities and team support that our coaches need to be successful. We are excited to make this gift, and hope that it will challenge others to support the student-athletes we all love to watch compete at the highest level.”
The $10 million commitment will support all four of Carolina's major athletics fundraising priorities: scholarship endowment, capital projects, team support and the annual fund. The portion of the Williams' gift that supports student-athlete scholarships represents the largest single gift toward scholarship support ever received by The Rams Club.
“Ken and Cheryl's generous gift will touch the lives of so many accomplished and talented students who participate in our athletics program,” says Chancellor Carol L. Folt. “Thanks to Ken and Cheryl's wonderful support of Carolina Athletics, as well as the many other parts of our university they touch through their generosity, future generations of Tar Heels will continue to have opportunities to go as far as their talents and hard work takes them.”
“Ken and Cheryl are great supporters of our entire broad-based program,” says Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. “They lend their support to so many of our sports, both financially and as fans. They consistently support initiatives that provide our coaches needed resources and enhance the student-athlete experience. On behalf of Carolina Athletics, I thank Ken and Cheryl for this gift, and for the positive impact they continue to have on the lives of our student-athletes.”
The Williamses are longtime supporters of Carolina. Ken received his master's degree from the School of Public Health (now the Gillings School of Global Public Health) in 1970, and his doctorate in 1976. He served as senior vice president of Quintiles, a contract research company headquartered in Durham, before retiring. Ken and Cheryl have been active donors and volunteers with The Rams Club, including Ken's previous term as a Chair of the Executive Board of Directors. Ken and Cheryl will serve as two of the three co-chairs of The Rams Club's upcoming campaign efforts.
“I want to thank Cheryl and Ken for their incredible generosity to our student-athletes and coaches,” says John Montgomery, Executive Director of The Rams Club. “They continue to demonstrate their commitment to our priorities, especially to funding scholarships for our student-athletes. They have provided an inspirational example of leadership giving.”
