Press Releases

“We are very proud to be expanding our partnership with UNC,” said Dan Fleishman, Director of Sponsorships and Alliances for Wachovia.  “We are confident the enhancements to the sponsorship will serve to strengthen an already successful relationship.”

Highlights of the partnership include:

• Funding to maintain and improve UNC athletic facilities, including the Dean E. Smith Center, Olympic sports venues, sports medicine and student-athlete service programs, including academic counseling, career development and community outreach programs.
• On-site Wachovia presence at the Dean E. Smith Center (men’s basketball) includes a 6-foot by 8-foot permanent display on two video boards located above upper level seating and a display on the courtside LED board. 
• Other on-site Wachovia signage at Boshamer Stadium (baseball), Carmichael Auditorium (women’s basketball) and Fetzer Field (men’s and women’s lacrosse and soccer) and continued electronic messaging at Kenan Stadium (football).
• Special programs for students and alumni.

“This action fully supports the recommendation by the UNC Board of Trustees and the task force appointed by the trustees to add on-site sponsorship in a limited and tasteful way with a company that has strong integrity and national impact,” said Dick Baddour, UNC’s Director of Athletics. “Wachovia is that type of a company and I have no doubt that this will be a mutually beneficial partnership.

“The Smith Center has been home to Carolina Basketball for 20 years, the same length of time the men played in Carmichael Auditorium, and the building is due for a number of upgrades and repairs that have been delayed for financial reasons,” says Baddour.  “Those include fixing the sound system, seats, concessions, the concourse and lighting.
Additionally, our current sports medicine facilities are inadequate to care for nearly 800 student-athletes. This partnership allows us to improve our medical, academic and outreach support for our student-athletes.”

The University of North Carolina sponsors 28 varsity programs. The Tar Heels have won nearly 240 Atlantic Coast Conference championships, more than any other school in ACC history (no other school has won at least 200). UNC has finished in the Top 10 in the Sports Academy Directors Cup 10 times in 12 years. The Directors Cup is an annual ranking that measures how Division I programs perform in NCAA postseason competition. Last year marked the fourth consecutive year the Tar Heels placed in the Top 10 nationally. UNC has won NCAA championships in women’s soccer (17 times), men’s basketball (four times including 2005), field hockey (four times), men’s lacrosse (four times), women’s basketball and men’s soccer, played in 25 postseason football bowl games and placed more student-athletes on the ACC 50th Anniversary All-Star Teams than any school in the conference. UNC also placed nearly 300 student-athletes on the ACC Honor Roll in 2004-05, the second-highest figure in the league and the most in UNC history.

Wachovia Corporation (NYSE:WB) is one of the largest providers of financial services to retail, brokerage and corporate customers, with banking operations from Connecticut to Florida and west to Texas, and retail brokerage operations nationwide. Wachovia had assets of $532.4 billion, market capitalization of $73.9 billion and stockholders’ equity of $46.8 billion at September 30, 2005. Its four core businesses, the General Bank, Capital Management, Wealth Management, and the Corporate and Investment Bank, serve 13 million household and business relationships primarily through 3,138 offices in 15 states and Washington, D.C. Its full-service retail brokerage firm, Wachovia Securities, LLC, also serves clients through 702 offices in 49 states and five Latin American countries. The Corporate and Investment Bank serves clients in selected industries nationwide. Global services are offered through 40 offices around the world. Online banking and brokerage products and services also are available through Wachovia.com.