$1.25 Million Gift Pushes “Fill the Western Sky” Athletics Campaign Past Its Goal
Western Carolina University announced a $1.5 million planned gift from a longtime Western North Carolina economic development and marketing professional and his spouse to Western Carolina University’s “Fill the Western Sky” comprehensive fundraising campaign. This gift propels the campaign past its minimum goal of $100 million in philanthropic support.
Rich Price, chief marketing and strategic partnerships officer at Western Carolina University, and wife Susan recently updated their estate plans to direct $1.25 million toward support for the Catamount athletics program. The planned gift from the Prices comes on the heels of several major contributions that have enabled the campaign, which launched its public phase in January 2025, to hit its goal ahead of its original timeline. But that does not mean the campaign is over, said Ben Pendry, WCU vice chancellor for advancement.
"Our donors have led us to the largest and most successful fundraising effort in university history. Our gratitude is boundless and is personified in the lives of our students and the communities they serve,” Pendry said. “We will keep our foot on the gas for this campaign through June 30 of 2026. As we celebrate the success of ‘Fill the Western Sky,’ WCU recommits to engaging each and every person who is interested in seeing WCU continue to meet the needs of our region, our communities and our students.”
Price graduated from WCU in 1998 and served as Jackson County before joining the university’s administration. He was named WCU chief marketing and strategic partnerships officer in 2024. He is a member of the board of directors of the Mountain West Partnership and former board chair, e also previously served as director of casino marketing and player development at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort for 12 years. He is a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.
“Rich and Susan understand the importance of athletics to Western Carolina University. As longtime donors and fans, they get that our student-athletes are often WCU’s most visible ambassadors and our facilities are a ‘front porch’ for many visitors and community stakeholders,” said WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown.
“They have made their gift ‘undesignated,’ which means that it can be utilized for the greatest needs of our athletics programs. We gratefully acknowledge their trust and their foresight in making this amazing leadership gift,” Brown said.
A resident of Whittier and native of Lake Lure, Price said he was moved to make the planned gift to an institution that is not just his alma mater but also a source of personal and professional connections and, most recently, a supplier of employment.
The fact that the estate gift from the Prices has enabled the “Fill the Western Sky” to hit its $100 million goal ahead of schedule is just the icing on the cake, he said.
“Susan and I agree that we wanted to announce this gift at this time not only to help move the ‘Fill the Western Sky’ campaign forward, but also to honor the tremendous colleagues that I get to work with every day at WCU,” he said.
“Chancellor Brown is an incredible advocate and supporter of Catamount athletics, and to be able to announce this gift at this time allows us to acknowledge how blessed we are by our association with WCU, the incredible relationships we’ve built with WCU supporters and the privilege it is to work with such dedicated professionals within the WCU leadership team,” he said.
Brown unveiled plans for a comprehensive fundraising campaign shortly after her arrival in 2019, prioritizing seeking philanthropic support for enhancements to the overall student experience, including academics, athletics, and community and global engagement.
University leaders set an initial campaign target of $75 million and increased it to $100 million earlier this year after surpassing that goal, with much of that support directed toward the university’s academic excellence and student engagement initiatives.
During the public phase of the campaign, the emphasis turned toward obtaining funding to complete overdue improvements to athletics facilities and increasing membership in the Catamount Club athletics booster organization. Only the third comprehensive fundraising campaign in WCU history, “Fill the Western Sky” is the first with a significant focus on support for the university’s athletics program.
