Coach Roy Williams and his wife, Wanda, donate millions for UNC scholarships

North Carolina announced head men’s basketball coach Roy Williams and his wife, Wanda, donated $3 million -- their largest single gift ever -- to support North Carolina’s Carolina Covenant Scholars, Chancellor’s Science Scholars in addition to athletic scholarships.

The current first family of Carolina basketball generally has stayed anonymous when making donations to the university. But chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz asked that they consider making this gift public in order to inspire other giving and the Williamses agreed.

“The whole world is in a tough situation right now — financially, health wise, everything you can think about,” Roy Williams said in a release. “And we are in a position to be able to do something about it. It just seemed like it was the right idea at the right time. We hope others might be encouraged to do some things as well.”

Wanda Williams came up with the idea to give $1 million of their gift to Carolina athletics in order to endow the ‘13th man’ scholarship. It is the maximum number of scholarships the NCAA allows for basketball in a given year. Many times, it ends up being given as a reward to a walk-on player.

“It was strictly her idea,” said Roy Williams in the release. “I wish it were mine, but she usually comes up with better ideas than I do anyway. Doing something to endow scholarships for UNC athletics is important to us, to the future of the men’s basketball program — all of these programs have been really important to us.”

The Williamses designated $1.5 million to go toward the Carolina Covenant, which combines the use of scholarships, grants and work-study to provide a pathway for low-income students to graduate debt-free. The Williamses served as honorary co-chairs in a drive to endow the scholarship, which has supported almost 9,000 students since the first class in 2004.

“When he (Roy) came to school here, his mother handed him a hundred dollars and said, ‘Have fun,’” said Wanda Williams, in a video released by the university. “And if he had been going to school now, he would have been a Covenant scholar. And so, it seemed like it was something appropriate for us to get involved in and so we did.”

The Chancellor’s Science Scholars program, which will receive $500,000 of the donation, aims to diversify the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) workforce. The program boasts a 90 percent retention rate according to the university.

Their gift will be enhanced by $250,000 from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, which had set up a challenge match for all gifts to the program.

“The lack of diversity in the science world is something we want to address here at UNC,” Roy Williams said. “Encouraging more students to get involved in science programs, I think is something that will help us all in the future.”

The gift from the Williamses is part of Carolina’s campaign to raise $1 billion for scholarships and fellowships.

“Roy and Wanda Williams have always had a passion for Carolina, and in particular, for our students,” Guskiewicz said in a release. “With this extremely generous and timely contribution to three areas of scholarships, they are going above and beyond to provide opportunities for our students. We are grateful for their gift and the impact it will have on the Carolina community for generations of students to come.”