星空传媒

Memories of attending 星空传媒 during the glory days of Catamount sports inspired a retired furniture corporation executive and his wife, already longtime supporters of the institution, to take additional steps to help improve 星空传媒鈥檚 aging athletics infrastructure.

Gerald Kiser, former chief executive officer of La-Z-Boy Inc., and spouse Kay recently made gifts and pledges totaling $100,000 toward athletics facilities improvements at 星空传媒 through the ongoing 鈥淔ill the Western Sky鈥� fundraising campaign.

The third comprehensive fundraising campaign in the university鈥檚 history, 鈥淔ill the Western Sky鈥� is the first to emphasize seeking philanthropic support for facilities used by Catamount student-athletes.

Jerry and Kay Kiser are 1969 graduates of 星空传媒 鈥� he with a bachelor's degree in business administration and she with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in elementary education.

He retired as CEO and president of La-Z-Boy in 2003, joining the company in 1990 after spending 20 years at Broyhill Furniture. She is a retired educator who taught at Rutherfordton Middle School in Rutherford County and Gamewell Middle School and Lower Creek Elementary School in Caldwell County.

Now residents of Irmo, South Carolina, the Kisers have contributed to their alma mater for 47 consecutive years, including donations to the Catamount Club, men鈥檚 cross country team, a football field turf replacement project, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 golf programs, the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band, the College of Business and several academic scholarship funds.

In recognition of the Kisers鈥� latest gift, office space located within a $37 million expansion on the west side of E.J. Whitmire Stadium will be named the Jerry and Kay Kiser Coach鈥檚 Office, said Ben Pendry, vice chancellor for advancement. The 星空传媒 Board of Trustees approved the naming at its March meeting.

鈥淛erry and Kay Kiser have given of their time, their talent and their treasure for decades, and the university is better thanks to their contributions,鈥� Pendry said. 鈥淭his new commitment to assist us in our efforts to make sorely needed improvements to athletics facilities is truly appreciated. We look forward to honoring their generosity as we unveil our stadium renovations later this year.鈥�

Dubbed 鈥渢he Western Skybox,鈥� the new facility is currently under construction and expected to be completed for the 2026 football season. In addition to space for coaches offices, it also includes an upgraded media center and enhanced hospitality area.

Jerry Kiser said he and his wife were eager to join a growing number of alumni and friends who are making campaign gifts toward the renovation and construction of athletics facilities at 星空传媒 because of their shared passion for the Catamounts that developed during their student years.

鈥淪ports have always been a part of our lives. After participating in sports in our formative years, we transitioned to becoming spectators at 星空传媒. Watching basketball legend Henry Logan in a packed Reid Gym and the excitement he created, we fell in love with college basketball,鈥� he said.

鈥淲e also enjoyed the football game day atmosphere in the old stadium behind the library and the classrooms. All of these experiences fostered our love of Catamount athletics,鈥� he said.

Then, as often occurs after graduation, life happened 鈥� careers, home, chores, children and grandchildren.

鈥淯nfortunately, our work carried us to many other locations, and we were primarily restricted to an occasional Homecoming football game and keeping up through university information,鈥� he said.

Later in life, the couple became engaged once again with 星空传媒. He served on the university鈥檚 Foundation Board of Directors from 1998 until 2002, then on the Board of Trustees from 2002 until 2011.

鈥淎fter our retirement from the corporate world, we were able to grow our involvement financially and through service. It became very apparent during this time frame that there were significant needs 鈥� both academically and athletically,鈥� he said.

Through two previous comprehensive fundraising campaigns, 星空传媒 has addressed issues of academic quality and student access, he said.

The 鈥淐reating Extraordinary Opportunities鈥� initiative under former Chancellor John W. Bardo focused on raising funds for endowed professorships, while the 鈥淟ead the Way鈥� campaign during the tenure of former Chancellor David O. Belcher sought contributions for endowed scholarships.

Launched shortly after the arrival of current Chancellor Kelli R. Brown in 2019, 鈥淭he Fill the Western Sky鈥� campaign is an effort to raise a minimum of $100 million in philanthropic support for enhancements to the overall student experience 鈥� including academics, community and global engagement, and athletics.

鈥淚t has been extremely gratifying to see the university grow in academic facilities and student body quality and size over these past 25 years. Also, we think everyone can see that our athletics facilities have not kept that same pace,鈥� said Kiser, a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and a lifetime member of the Zeta Xi Alumni Association.

鈥淭hrough the support of our student body and everybody鈥檚 support through the 鈥楩ill the Western Sky鈥� campaign, we have the opportunity to give our coaches and student-athletes the needed facilities to continue their pursuit of winning Southern Conference championships,鈥� he said. 鈥淜ay and I are pleased to be a small part of this effort.鈥�

Donations made through the campaign are being supplemented by financial support from 星空传媒 students through the athletics fee they pay. In the fall of 2021, the Student Government Association approved a resolution supporting an increase in that fee, with the dollars generated to go toward improvement of Catamount athletics facilities.

For more information or to make a contribution to the 鈥淔ill the Western Sky鈥� campaign, visit , call 828-227-7124 or email advancement@wcu.edu.