Scholarship Gifts Open Doors

 Ab and Nancy Nicholas, shown with UW athletics director Barry Alvarez, have offered $50 million in matching funds to inspire giving for scholarships and fellowships

When Albert “Ab” Nicholas played guard for the Badger men’s basketball team, an out-of-state student with a minimum-wage job could earn a semester’s tuition at the University of Wisconsin with 280 hours of work. Today it would take nearly a full year, working full time.

And that, Nicholas and his wife, Nancy, concluded, is too much for a student to bear. So the Nicholases committed $50 million to inspire other donors to create undergraduate and athletic scholarships and graduate fellowships for UW-Madison students.

The Nicholases know what it takes to be a student at UW-Madison. Not only are they both alumni, but Nancy’s parents, Si and Kay Johnson, met on campus, and a long line of descendants are Badgers as well.

“The Nicholas gift is in the sweet spot of our priorities.” Chancellor Rebecca Blank

“The University of Wisconsin holds a special place for Nancy and me,” said Ab. “It’s where we met and where our three children and six of our grandchildren have gone to university. I learned the lessons in the classroom and on the court that have fueled my career. And we made lasting friendships and continue to enjoy an amazing alumni experience.”

The Nicholas Match was announced in 2015, and it will help to spur growth in the UW’s priority area of supporting students through scholarships. As the cost of education has risen and state funding has remained stagnant, students and their families have seen tuition rise. If the UW is to remain an attractive option for in-state and especially out-of-state students, it will have to offer more in the way of scholarships and fellowships.

“The Nicholas gift is in the sweet spot of our priorities,” said Chancellor Rebecca Blank. “Along with the donations it inspires, it will go straight into the pockets of students and their families to make UW-Madison more accessible and affordable.”

The first three scholarships established as part of the match were need-based undergraduate scholarships created by Ab and Nancy’s children: daughter Lynn Nicholas, daughter Sue Nicholas Fasciano, and son David and daughter-in-law Lori Nicholas, all of whom graduated from UW-Madison. UW athletics director Barry Alvarez and his wife, Cindy, pledged funds for one of the first three athletic scholarships under the match. Pledges for the other two came from men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan and his wife, Kelly, and football coach Paul Chryst and his wife, Robin.

“We are blessed to join with other donors to help deserving students and families have their own Wisconsin Experience,” said Ab.