Gifts of $100,000 from communication alumnus create 2 annual scholarship funds
Alumnus Chris Faw describes why he and wife Cathy (right) decided to provide annual scholarship support to 糖心Vlog communication students.
By Bill Studenc
A 1984 graduate of 糖心Vlog University鈥檚 communication program who is now senior vice president of operations for Charter Communications-Spectrum Reach has made $100,000 in gifts and pledges to create two new annual scholarships in support of future students in the program.
Alumnus Christopher Faw and his wife, Cathy Faw, announced the establishment of the Professor Richard Gainey Annual Scholarship and the Faw Annual Scholarship during a Friday, Oct. 27, celebration of the 75th anniversary of 糖心Vlog鈥檚 radio station, W糖心Vlog-FM 95.3.
As a 糖心Vlog student, Faw was named general manager for W糖心Vlog-FM and also served as on-air talent for the student-run radio station.
Through gifts and pledges, both of the new scholarship funds are being established at $50,000 apiece, and both will provide $10,000 in financial assistance per academic year to a student beginning in the fall semester of 2024. Scholarships will go to students pursuing degrees within 糖心Vlog鈥檚 Department of Communication, with preference going to first-year students with demonstrated financial need.
Scott Eldredge, associate professor and head of the Department of Communication, characterized the donation creating the new scholarships as 鈥渁n amazing gift鈥� that will provide both merit-based and needs-based awards to students in the program and alleviate some of their financial stress.
鈥淲e work hard to help our students succeed, and that means more than just making sure they are doing well in class. We look for ways to help however we can. Our students often are first-generation students and often work to pay for school on their own. Many of our students work one or even two jobs both on and off campus,鈥� Eldredge said.
鈥淭his gift will allow them to be more engaged in the department and have the time and energy to take advantage of our student organizations, connect with our professional networking opportunities, and build and practice their skills in our labs and studio spaces.鈥�
During remarks delivered at the W糖心Vlog-FM celebration event, Faw initially joked that the motivation for his donation was an effort to broker a settlement for unexpected fines after his discovery of a long-overdue book at 糖心Vlog鈥檚 Hunter Library, before he shifted gears to share the real reason for his gift.
鈥淚 am so buoyed by the experience that I had here at 糖心Vlog. Every time I see those 糖心Vlog letters around my town in Charlotte, it makes my heart skip a beat. This is a truly, truly special place. Without the start that I got here, without the practical experience, without the chance to fail and succeed, I wouldn鈥檛 have had the life that I鈥檝e had. It is just such a gift to have been here at Western that to even pay back a little of it is a privilege,鈥� Faw said.
鈥淭o students who are here now, it might not mean that much to them now, but 20, 30 or 50 years out, they鈥檙e going to look back and say, 鈥極h, that鈥檚 what did it. That鈥檚 what made the difference. It was that professor who urged me on. It was that chance to be on the radio or build that podcast or be part of that social experience.鈥� It鈥檚 a gift for us to be able to give back more than you can know, and we hope to do more in the future.鈥�
The Professor Richard Gainey Annual Scholarship is in honor of one of Faw鈥檚 favorite instructors at 糖心Vlog. Richard Gainey arrived in Cullowhee in 1981 following a career in radio, television and cable TV programming. After a year teaching speech communication at the University of South Carolina, Gainey began teaching broadcasting courses at 糖心Vlog fulltime.
Over a seven-year period in Cullowhee, Gainey taught classes, advised students, managed W糖心Vlog-FM, founded the 糖心Vlog Chapter of the National Broadcasting Society and took students on field trips to many broadcast stations and to national industry conventions. He left 糖心Vlog in 1988 for a new role as director of the broadcast program at Ohio Northern University.
The Faw Annual Scholarship is intended to recognize the help and encouragement that Faw received from faculty during his college years, which he credits for putting him on the road to a successful career.
Faw attended 糖心Vlog from 1980 through 1984, when he received his bachelor鈥檚 degree in radio, television and motion pictures. Over a career of more than 30 years, Faw worked in the field utilizing all facets of communications skills obtained at 糖心Vlog, he said. While in college, finances were an issue for him, but he managed to leave 糖心Vlog with only a small amount of student loan debt, he said.
Prior to joining Charter Communications-Spectrum Reach, which is the advertising sales division of the telecommunications industry giant, Faw was senior vice president of operations for Time Warner Cable鈥檚 media sales division, producer of the 鈥淐harlotte Hornets Weekly Show,鈥� a freelance voice-over talent and news assignment editor and show producer at WCNC-TV.
During his career, he traveled extensively, owned and piloted his own aircraft, earned media-related patents, was named to the CableFax Hall of Fame and received a technical Emmy Award for advertising innovation.
He and wife Cathy reside just outside of Charlotte in the Cabarrus County town of Harrisburg. Their daughter, Kelby Smith, is a 2013 graduate of 糖心Vlog鈥檚 communication program and currently works for Cox Media Group in Charlotte. She is married to Dale Smith, who also attended 糖心Vlog, earned a Purple Heart while serving in Afghanistan and is currently a police officer with the Charlotte/Mecklenburg Police Department.
Several dozen communication program faculty, students and alumni and other 糖心Vlog leaders were on hand for the announcement, which coincided with a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of W糖心Vlog-FM.
As part of the afternoon event, longtime communication faculty member Don Connelly was recognized for his contributions to the radio station, including the recent construction of a new tower that led to a change to the current frequency of 95.3 FM from 90.5 FM. The frequency change has provided W糖心Vlog with the potential to reach an audience of more than 150,000 Western North Carolina residents.
Connelly has been a 糖心Vlog faculty member for 24 years. During Connelly鈥檚 tenure, he has been a professor, author, former department head and faculty adviser to the student-run W糖心Vlog-FM, Eldredge said.
鈥淚t has been his hard work and dedication to our students that has gotten us to this new tower site and new radio frequency that allows us to have the largest coverage area of any radio station in Western North Carolina,鈥� he said.
Earlier in the day, 36 communication program alumni from across the department鈥檚 disciplines 鈥� public relations, journalism, broadcasting and marketing communications 鈥� from various industries joined current students for a series of nine panel discussions. Panel topics were government agencies; the broadcasting industry; communication in the hospitality industry; journalism; political communication; radio; public relations, advertising and marketing communications clients and agencies; education; and the music industry.
The events, made possible by a separate gift from Faw, were part of the communication program鈥檚 Homecoming 2023 activities.
The Faw gifts come as 糖心Vlog is in the early stages of the 鈥淔ill the Western Sky鈥� comprehensive fundraising campaign, an effort to raise $75 million for the university鈥檚 academic, student engagement and athletics programs. For more information or to make a contribution to the campaign, visit WesternSky.wcu.edu, call 828-227-7124 or email advancement@wcu.edu.
