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 Ģ������ƵStories      December 3, 2025

By Bill Studenc

An estate gift from a retired Ģ������Ƶ faculty member and his spouse, a current Ģ������Ƶstaff member, will establish an endowed scholarship fund to provide financial support to students working toward undergraduate degrees in psychology.

The leadership gift from the Sylva residents will create the Winford and Heather Gordon Psychology Endowed Scholarship Fund for students in WCU’s College of Education and Allied Professions.

Recipients of the scholarship must have verifiable financial need. Preference will be given to first-generation students studying psychology, with special consideration for those in groups that are underrepresented in the psychology profession.

The fund will make much-needed scholarship assistance available to students in one of WCU’s largest undergraduate programs, helping them attain the first level of education needed as they pursue careers in more specialized fields, said Kim Winter, dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions.

“We are grateful for Windy and Heather Gordon’s generous donation in support of psychology students here at Ģ������Ƶ. This gift is particularly special for us as Dr. Windy Gordon served the college as an engaged and beloved faculty member,” Winter said. “He and Heather have a long history of serving the needs of students at this university, and the generosity they are demonstrating through their estate gift will ensure that their impact continues in perpetuity.”

Windy Gordon, who joined the Ģ������Ƶpsychology faculty in 2004 and retired in 2022, previously served  as director of undergraduate studies in psychology. The university’s Chancellor’s Distinguished Award recipient in 2018, he also received the 2020 Faculty Award for Excellence in Student Service presented by the Office of Student Success.

Heather Gordon, who earned her master’s degree in public affairs from Ģ������Ƶin 2016, is associate director of WCU’s DegreePlus program, an educational enhancement initiative housed in the Center for Career and Professional Development.

Married for 38 years and with no children of their own, the Gordons said they both feel fortunate to have worked with and taught many remarkable students at Western, and they have a shared commitment to their students. Establishing an endowed scholarship fund was a natural next step in caring about generations yet to come, especially those who are the first in their families going on to higher education, they said

“I was a first-generation college student. I have taught and advised many first-gen students at Western. I think first-gen students face some challenges that legacy students don’t feel,” Windy Gordon said.

“Money won’t provide an instant understanding of the complexity of completing a college program, but, hopefully, the scholarships will show families that the university wants to join them in supporting their deserving daughters and sons,” he said. “Removing some of the financial burden may give first-gen students and their families a little breathing space to figure things out and succeed.”

As a teacher of psychology, he said he wanted to direct the gift to benefit students in that major because he believes the discipline offers a vital understanding of human behavior.

“Psychology helps us see why we do what we do. The application of psychological knowledge advances mental health work, education, medicine and every other critical part of society. Who I am, and what and how I think are all born of what I know about psychology. How can I want anything else for students I care about?” he said.

“At a more personal level, I was the director of undergraduate studies in psychology at WCU, and I guess I still want ‘my program’ to recruit and graduate the best students. A few scholarships might help that happen,” he said. “Heather also studied psychology and supports students learning more about themselves and the world around them in order to become agents of change in the world.”

The endowment’s focus on supporting students from underrepresented groups is an intentional and personal decision, he said.

“If we ‘walk the talk’ about thinking like a psychologist, then of course we want anyone from any background to have access to Western’s psychology major. Studying in a culturally diverse group gives our students a better chance at learning to live with, work with and care about all people,” he said. “Further, it is ethically essential to remove barriers that may hinder talented students, regardless of who they are. Hard work should have significant consequences. We can think of no better consequence than attending Western.”

The donors say they envision that future recipients of scholarships made possible through their gift will persist in earning their degrees and go on to do great things in their lives, their communities and beyond.

“It is our hope that we can help carry on the legacy of getting a good education for students who deserve it,” Heather Gordon said. “Even in our absence, we hope to encourage students to work hard and find joy in the journey of college by helping to ease the financial burden.”

She is among the growing list of Ģ������Ƶfaculty and staff making financial contributions to the place where they teach, conduct research and provide services to students.

“Giving is a great feeling, and we encourage anyone – no matter how much money you have – to support the people and things you love,” she said. “We are all in jobs at Ģ������Ƶthat support student learning and engagement, and what better way to continue that support for future students. It takes all of us to help.”

Prior to joining the Ģ������Ƶfaculty, Windy Gordon worked as a faculty member and administrator at Warren Wilson College, Brevard College, Bethune-Cookman University and Tennessee Wesleyan University.

An accomplished whitewater canoe racer, he earned a spot on the U.S. National Team three times, each with a different partner, and won numerous medals in national championships across almost two decades of competition. In 1996, he competed in the trials for the Atlanta Olympic Games.

He holds an undergraduate degree in psychology from Wofford College and a doctoral degree in experimental psychology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

A staff member at Ģ������Ƶsince 2022, Heather Gordon previously managed youth development programming in the Western North Carolina summer camp industry, served as a regional coordinator for WNC nonprofit Pathways and was the 4-H agent with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Center in Jackson County.

Through DegreePlus, she helps provide opportunities for students to add to the content of their academic studies through experiential opportunities in leadership, teamwork, professionalism and cultural responsiveness. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Warren Wilson College.

Announcement of the estate gift establishing the Winford and Heather Gordon Psychology Endowed Scholarship Fund comes as Ģ������Ƶis in the midst of its ongoing “Fill the Western Sky” comprehensive fundraising campaign, an effort to raise a minimum of $100 million for the university’s academic, student engagement and athletics programs.

For more information or to make a contribution to the campaign, visit , call 828-227-7124 or email advancement@wcu.edu.