Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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JUNE 2022 1 Dear Cavalier Fan, On May 21st and May 22nd, as many of our student-athletes were experiencing the sense of excite- ment and achievement that comes with walking the Lawn for graduation, our men's tennis team was win- ning the program's fifth NCAA national championship. There is likely no better example of what makes the UVA student-athlete experience so special and how they strive for the ultimate combination of athletics and academics. At the University of Virginia, student- athletes can earn a degree from one of the most respected universities and win a national championship. The role that our donors play in those successes cannot be understated. We are grateful for each of our donors who makes contributions to support scholarships, facilities and opera- tions. I hope you take great pride in our graduates and our teams as they win championships. Earlier this spring, we announced a historic $40 million bequest gift commit- ment from one of our former student-athletes. Please see the article in this issue for more details about this gift. Since this announcement, we have received calls from other donors who have either already made provisions in their estate plan to benefit Virginia Athletics or are interested in doing so. For those who are inter- ested, there is a piece that provides details on estate gifts. If you are so inclined to document an estate gift, we would be honored to discuss it with you. In May, we also announced the 124 endowed scholarship recipients for the 2022–23 academic year. This included 16 endowed scholarships that were awarded for the first time. You can visit VirginiaAthleticsFoundation.com/endow- ment to see the complete list of the scholarship recipients. We will have more new scholarships to award next year as donors continue to take advantage of the matching funds provided by the University's Bicentennial Scholars Fund, which matches 50 percent of the donor's gift for new scholarships. For more informa- tion about this program, please contact our office. At our most recent Foundation Board of Trustees meeting, we had a robust discussion about all of the changes in the college athletics landscape. While most of the media focus has involved name, image and likeness (NIL), athletics departments around the country are also discussing how to fund new academic achievement awards for student-athletes that are now allowed as a result of the outcome of NCAA v. Alston, which allows each student-athlete the opportunity to earn up to $5,980 per year for academic achievement as defined by the ath- letics department. This award is in addition to any scholarship a student-athlete receives, and this opportunity is a tremendous benefit to all student-athletes. However, it does put more pressure on revenue generation and fundraising to cover the expenses. We will continue to look for ways to expand our fundraising efforts to support more initiatives that impact the student-athlete experience. Thank you for your continued support of Virginia Athletics. Your generosity is critical in enabling our student-athletes to enjoy graduation celebrations and national championships while on Grounds. Best regards, Dirk P. Katstra Executive Director 2022 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS President Franklin S. Edmonds Jr., Charlottesville, Va. Vice President Rachel Ward Sheridan, McLean, Va. Secretary-Treasurer Dirk P. Katstra, Charlottesville, Va. Immediate Past President Juliana S. O'Reilly, McLean, Va. TRUSTEES Mia M. Bass, Alexandria, Va. Charles R. Birdsong, Suffolk, Va. Marvin P. Bush, Arlington, Va. W. Heywood Fralin, Roanoke, Va. Michael S. Geismar, Charlottesville, Va. Marvin W. Gilliam Jr., Bristol, Va. Raleigh Anne Gray, Charlotte, N.C. Christopher A. Harrison, Washington, D.C. Katherine L. Heilpern, New York, N.Y. Yusef D. Jackson, Chicago, Ill. Mark M. Luellen, Charlottesville, Va. T. Douglas McQuade, Roanoke, Va. Herman Moore, Lake Orion, Mich. Craig W. Packer, Greenwich, Conn. Barry L. Parkhill, Keswick, Va. Andrew S. Peskin, Manakin Sabot, Va. Jill Royster, Santa Monica, Ca. Anne Carter Smith, Charlotte, N.C. Alexander Wellford Tabor, Charlotte, N.C. Carla G. Williams, Charlottesville, Va. MISSION STATEMENT The Virginia Athletics Foundation, through its fundraising efforts, strives to support a preeminent intercollegiate athletics program at the University of Virginia by providing student- athletes the opportunity to achieve academic and athletic excellence. VIRGINIA ATHLETICS FOUNDATION P.O. Box 400833 Charlottesville, VA 22904-4833 (434) 982-5555 | (800) 626-8723 (434) 982-5025 FAX www.VirginiaAthleticsFoundation.com Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/VirginiaAthleticsFoundation