Fueling Extraordinary Days at UNC Asheville
At UNC Asheville, there’s no such thing as an ordinary day. Every moment holds the potential for discovery, creativity, and meaningful impact, and your generosity helps make it all possible.
Walk across campus and you might find faculty and students studying tardigrades—resilient, microscopic creatures whose radiation resistance could unlock scientific advances. Venture up to Lookout Observatory and you’ll see our new Astronomy majors, part of the first program of its kind in the UNC System, learning under some of the clearest skies in the region.
Beyond campus, our students continue to shape their world through hands-on learning. McCullough Fellows engage in innovative sustainability research across Western North Carolina, like student Phoebe Carnes, who spent her summer in the Great Smoky Mountains gathering elk DNA to support herd conservation. After Hurricane Helene, ecology students restored damaged riverbanks, studying native river cane and exploring its deep ties to Indigenous cultures.
These extraordinary moments happen every day at UNC Asheville—and they happen because of you.
A Year of Resilience and Renewal
Thanks to donors like you, 2025 was a year defined by resilience and renewal at UNC Asheville. Together, we not only overcame challenges but grew stronger because of them. Here’s what your generosity made possible:
- Welcoming 1,027 new Bulldogs—the third-largest incoming class in university history
- Providing emergency aid and tuition grants after Hurricane Helene, ensuring students could remain enrolled and continue their education
- Launching the $100 million Centennial Campaign, positioning UNC Asheville for a bold and thriving future
- Celebrating a historic $5 million gift, expanding scholarships and strengthening support for student-athletes
- Securing major federal and local grants to enhance student success initiatives and upgrade critical campus facilities
- Celebrating a record-breaking GivingTuesday, raising more than $107,000 from 355 donors to fuel critical resources, ensuring students have the support they need when it matters most
- Increasing student retention by three points, demonstrating that access, affordability, and engagement truly change lives
These milestones were powered by people who believe in the potential of every UNC Asheville student. The bond between alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, and friends is what makes the Bulldog family so remarkable.
Your Gift Powers What’s Possible
From innovative internships that prepare students for a competitive job market, to interdisciplinary graduate programs like the Master of Science in Environmental Resilience, to nearly $2 million in new STEM scholarships—your support fuels the experiences that define our University.
As 2025 comes to a close, we invite you to continue that impact. Your year-end gift will sustain scholarships, emergency grants, hands-on learning, and the campus resources students rely on to return, rebuild, and graduate.
Make your season-of-giving gift before 11:59:59 p.m. on December 31, 2025, and help our students maximize their academic success in 2026.
Every gift—no matter the size—helps a student believe in their future.
Thank you for ending the year with heart, and for being part of our extraordinary community!
