NEWS

By SARAH MADRY
UNC-CH Arts And Sciences Foundation

CHAPEL HILL -- Walter Burke Davis Jr. and Juliet H. Davis have donated $100,000 to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Arts and Sciences Foundation to create the Timothy B. Burnett Seminars for Academic Achievement.

Named in honor of Mrs. Davis’ son, Timothy B. Burnett, a perennial friend and alumnus of Carolina, the fund will allow UNC-CH Learning Disabilities Services to stage a seminar series on current developments, research and innovative practices related to learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders.

Annually, more than 250 Carolina students get assistance from Learning Disabilities Services, a national model for serving college students with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders. Its mission is to help students achieve their academic potential and goals within the regular, academically competitive curriculum.

Burnett helped lay the groundwork for Learning Disabilities Services’ success. When his daughter, Allison, attended UNC-CH, Burnett discovered that the physical facilities for the learning-disabled program weren’t adequate. So Burnett and his company leased space from the university in Wilson Library’s basement and renovated it by installing carrels, lighting, soundproofing, private rooms for tutoring and offices for tutors. He also was instrumental in generating funds that enabled the program to get added resources, training and workshops.

Jane Byron, director of Learning Disabilities Services, said the students it served will suggest topics for the Burnett Seminars, which will be open to the public.

"I’m ecstatic about the Timothy B. Burnett endowment," Byron said. "It’s something that’s been a dream of mine for some time. The Davises are incredible people who are putting us in a position to make things happen. This fund will benefit many people."

The Davises, commenting on their gift, said, "This fund was created to honor Tim for his unstinting contributions to the university. We particularly commend his imaginative yet pragmatic support of Learning Disabilities Services, helping to establish that department as one of the university’s most effective programs."

Specifically, organizers will bring to campus nationally recognized learning-disability and attention deficit disorder experts to speak and work with students as well as administrators, faculty and professionals from throughout the state who identify and work with students who have learning disabilities or attention deficit disorder.

Burnett won the 1994 William R. Davie Award for "extraordinary service to the university." Throughout his career, Burnett has championed what many consider to be Carolina’s heart and soul -- the College of Arts and Sciences.

As chairman of the development committee for the Arts and Sciences Foundation’s board of directors and a member of the steering committee for the Bicentennial Campaign for Carolina, Burnett helped lead fund-raising efforts that raised $53 million for the College of Arts and Sciences between 1989-95.

A Morehead scholar, Burnett earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from UNC-CH in 1962. Burnett was chairman of the Morehead Foundation regional selection committee from 1989-90 and, since 1995, has been the vice-chairman of the central selection committee. He also has been chairman of the Board of Visitors, chairman of the board of the Arts and Sciences Foundation, and has served on the chancellor’s search committee, which recommended Michael Hooker to succeed Paul Hardin as chancellor of UNC-CH.

Burnett earned his master’s of business administration degree from Harvard Business School. He is president of Bessemer Improvement Co., a Greensboro-based company that develops real estate properties. He also serves as chairman of the Burkely Property Group, which owns and manages multi-family properties.

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News Services contact: Karen Stinneford, 919-962-8415