University of North Carolina Athletics
A LEGACY OF GIVING - Rams Club
They walked out on the Kenan Stadium field during a timeout at a football game in early November. Ken and Cheryl Williams stood between volleyball alumna Paige Neuenfeldt and junior men's basketball player Justin Jackson. And then, it was announced: the Williamses had given a $10 million leadership gift to The Rams Club that will go toward the scholarship endowment, capital projects, team support and the annual fund.
Their gift is the largest single donation toward scholarship support in Carolina athletics history. But the Williams' support is not simply a one-time, single donation; it's the culmination of years of Carolina involvement by the couple.
In 1969, Ken Williams was a Minnesota native looking for a graduate school. Carolina was one of the few universities that offered his preferred program, a masters in public health with a concentration in biostatistics. “I was awarded a scholarship, and so that made the decision to come to graduate school (in Chapel Hill) even easier,” he says. “That's why I ended up here, and I haven't regretted it for a day.”
After earning his master's degree, Williams spent two years in the military before returning to earn his doctorate. He moved back to the Midwest to work for Abbott Labs, where he met Cheryl, a navy brat who'd resettled in Illinois. The two will celebrate their 41st wedding anniversary in January.
The Williamses moved back to Chapel Hill in 1987. Ken had enjoyed attending basketball and football games as a graduate student, and the Williamses began to get involved in Carolina athletics on a deeper level. “When we started with our scholarships, at least part of the reason was to get basketball tickets,” Cheryl says. “I had been to a couple of games and liked it, and I said, ‘How can we do this?'”
The couple initially chose to give to women's sports because they knew there was a need. Their daughter had played softball in high school, so they chose to support that program. “It was a sport we knew and related to,” Cheryl says. They inquired about other needs and were introduced to field hockey. “We didn't know anything about field hockey, but we learned it . . . some of it,” she says. They learned it well enough that when the Tar Heels put the ball into the net, the tally goes on the Ken and Cheryl Williams Family Scoreboard.
Today, the Williamses endow scholarships in volleyball, field hockey and softball and have an honorary scholarship in men's basketball. Over the years, they've supported such luminaries as Rachel Dawson, Katelyn Falgowski and Emily Wold in field hockey; Crystal Cox in softball and Neuenfeldt and Jackson.
Their relationships with student-athletes go far beyond financial support. They become ‘scholarship parents,' essentially, getting to know their endowed student-athletes beyond the field of play, outside of their sports. They receive Christmas cards, wedding and birth announcements from the student-athletes they've supported. When Dawson was honored at a field hockey match for her participation on the U.S. Olympic team, the Williamses accompanied her on the field.
"There are scholarship students who never meet their donors, and it's the donors' loss,” Ken says. “I think the student-athletes we get here are really just exceptional young people. They're exceptional athletes, but they're also just exceptional people beyond their athletic ability.”
The Williamses also understand that many of the student-athletes whose scholarships they endow will not become professional athletes. That's precisely the reason that scholarship giving is so important. “It's a good time in their lives, and admittedly it's a lot of work,” Ken says. “To be a student-athlete really takes a lot of focus and dedication, but once you get out into the workplace, those are the skills you have to have.”
When they see their student-athletes succeed, like reaching Final Fours, winning championships or individual awards, the Williamses smile, knowing they had a hand in providing the opportunity for that success. “I think that's probably the major reason why we do what we do,” Ken says. “It's very fulfilling and fun to know that you've really made an impact in a young person's life. It's something that they can take, and they'll remember it forever.”
Ken and Cheryl Williams know that not every Rams Club donor can make a $10 million donation, or even approach that number. Their donation is a leadership gift, one intended to inspire others to give to a worthy cause. “Whether you give $10 million, $5 million, a thousand dollars…every gift is needed and appreciated,” Ken says. “It all goes for the same purpose. If you enjoy Carolina, it's what I would call money well spent. You don't have to get in at the top level. And now is a good time to get your kids or grandkids involved and build that legacy. We kind of need to change the philosophy, to be more philanthropic.”
"We know that we've inspired other people to look at what they can do,” Cheryl says, “and we're happy to do that.”
Initially, the Williamses may have given to Carolina for tickets. They do have those tickets, supporting Carolina men's basketball through the Bench Seat program and football in the 22 Club. But what they get in return goes far beyond a good view of a game. Their involvement allows them to get to know the student-athletes they support. “You get to talk to them and get to know them more as individuals, as opposed to just watching them run up and down the court,” Ken says.
"They are just kids,” says Cheryl.
Ken nods. “And they're really pretty amazing kids.”
This story appeared in the February 2017 issue of Born & Bred magazine.