Western Carolina University

Above: Marty Ramsey, alumni affairs director, talks with WCU alumni at a reunion.

Marty Ramsey, alumni affairs director and 1985 WCU graduate, wanted his participation in The Campaign for Western to help academics and athletics, so he is directing his gifts to the Alumni Association Scholarship, the Loyalty Fund and summer school scholarships for student-athletes.

“It is important to me as both an alumnus and an employee to support the university in as many areas as I can,” said Ramsey, who has personally served and been served by the university in many different ways, too.

Ramsey not only lived in Cullowhee as a child, he lived right on campus in a residence hall for eight years. In 1964, his family became one of Western’s “dorm families” that resided in the first floor apartment of the dormitory. His mother, Sue, managed Roberson Dorm, and his father, Harry, was a faculty member and later retired from Western as a university administrator.

Memories of WCU and family ties to the university led Ramsey to enroll at Western as a student in 1981. He graduated cum laude with a degree in business administration and went on to work in corporate sales in the transportation industry.

“The opportunity to come back home to Cullowhee and work for my alma mater in 1994 was a lifelong dream come true,” said Ramsey, who returned as director of the Catamount Club. His 10 years of service as director of the club inspired members and supporters to create an endowed fund to help student-athletes afford to attend school in the summer and continue their athletic conditioning. The fully endowed fund was started in 2004, and the club named the fund in honor of Ramsey.

“Athletics is a very important part of the university—a rallying point,” said Ramsey, who is directing part of his campaign gift to that fund. “To remain competitive within the Southern Conference, athletes need to be able to continue their athletic conditioning and academic studies during the summer.”

Ramsey moved from working with the Catamount Club into a job as alumni affairs director, through which he helps promote and engage alumni with programs across the university. His involvement inspired Ramsey to make the second fund he is supporting through the campaign the Alumni Association Scholarship, which the Alumni Board initiated about five years ago.

The scholarship benefits Western students who have financial need and who have close family ties to Catamount alumni. The first scholarship from that fund was awarded this past academic year to Amanda Roach, a senior majoring in athletic training whose parents both graduated from Western. The third area Ramsey is directing his campaign gift to is the Loyalty Fund, which supports merit-based scholarships for more than 100 students every year, in addition to the Honors College, recruitment, student achievement awards banquets, the University Scholar Award, the Outstanding Support Staff Award and the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award.

“I hope other staff and faculty will join me in supporting through the campaign the many programs and funds that make a
difference here at Western,” he said.