When donors believe, Broncos succeed: WMU Athletics and its benefactors are winning together
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—With Vice President and Director of Athletics Dan Bartholomae leading the charge, Western’s hometown has evolved from a place many may have only imagined through a Glenn Miller tune into a city united around unprecedented Bronco wins.
"Kalamazoo has become the City of Champions,” Bartholomae says. “Our rise to national prominence happened because an entire community believed in a vision, supported it and lifted us higher than ever before.”
While Miller’s “I Got a Gal in Kalamazoo” may always be part of the narrative, today the city’s rallying cry is “Fight, Broncos, Fight!”—an anthem powered by WMU Athletics. Since 2022, Broncos have claimed 37 conference championships across all programs. In 2025, Western reached the pinnacle, capturing national championships in both men’s ice hockey and dance. (The WMU Dance Team went on to defend its title in April.)
Outside of competition, student-athletes set a new benchmark for the 2025-26 academic year, recording a 3.42 GPA—their highest ever. What’s more, Broncos finished No. 1 in the Mid-American Conference in service hours for the fourth straight year, and sixth in the nation for community service for 2025-26.
Achievements like these don’t happen by chance. They are the result of student-athletes’ hard work and dedication, along with sustained investment from alumni, fans and donors.
“Championships require resources, and our community continues to step up in extraordinary ways,” says Bartholomae, who was recently recognized as one of five finalists for Sports Business Journal’s Athletic Director of the Year.
The power of philanthropy
Across nearly every sport, philanthropy has elevated the student-athlete experience, creating opportunities that empower them to thrive as players, students and professionals. The latest example: a $3 million anonymous gift benefiting both the Seita Scholars Program, which supports students with lived experience in foster care, and WMU Athletics.
“This gift will allow us to build upon our championship momentum and advance key initiatives specific to the Broncos REIGN strategic plan,” Bartholomae says.
Donor generosity is on display in the spaces student-athletes call home, too. A $1.5 million gift from Jeff, BBA ’75, and Stephanie Bergeron provided the WMU women’s golf team with a premier, year-round facility located inside the Donald “J” Seelye Athletic Center. The Jeff and Stephanie Bergeron Golf Performance Center features a golf simulator lab, a putting lab, a chip and putt space, and a renovated locker room.
“Stephanie and I are firm believers in empowering the best, and we are thrilled to contribute to the championship aspirations of the WMU Department of Athletics and the WMU women’s golf program,” Jeff Bergeron says. “By supporting these incredible student-athletes, we are investing in winners on and off the course.”
Our donors are directly connected to our success. When you see our teams winning championships, when you see our student-athletes excelling in the classroom and giving back to the community, that’s the result of their belief and their investment.
Lead gifts from the Allkins family; Randy and Wendi Verlin; and former WMU Board of Trustees Chair Lynn Chen-Zhang, MS ’91, and Charles Zhang, MA ’91, also made possible a complete renovation of the women’s basketball team’s locker room.
“As a multigenerational family of Broncos, we are grateful for what Western Michigan University has done for us,” the Allkins family shares. “We have seen how hard these young women work and how deserving they are of a first-class space like this one to become stronger athletes and teammates.”
Men’s and women’s soccer received more than $2 million in gifts from a group of anonymous alumni this past winter, enabling the installation of stadium lighting, the addition of professional-grade sideline benches and shelters, and other championship-level enhancements.
On the football field, a deep sense of legacy and Bronco pride sparked a landmark $7.5 million gift from David and Ronda Stafford.
“The naming of Stafford-Smith Field is a testament to their belief in the future of this program,” says Lance Taylor, head football coach. “It’s inspiring to see a football alum supporting the next generation of student-athletes, and this contribution will have a lasting impact on the future of Bronco football.”
A winning future
Taken together, these investments represent more than bricks and mortar. They are catalysts for recruitment, retention and personal development, giving Bronco student-athletes the environment, tools and confidence they need to chase championships and grow into leaders long after their days of playing end.
“Our donors are directly connected to our success,” Bartholomae says. “When you see our teams winning championships, when you see our student-athletes excelling in the classroom and giving back to the community, that’s the result of their belief and their investment.”
Building on this City of Champions momentum, Western is poised to raise more trophies, develop more leaders and write the next chapter in a story still unfolding.
“With the continued support of Bronco Nation, we’re just getting started,” Bartholomae says. “The foundation is strong, the vision is clear and the future is incredibly bright.”
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