It’s hard to imagine a couple who’s more involved with Christopher Newport University than Michael Carter and his wife, Julia Wainwright.

Mr. Carter graduated from CNU in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and Mrs. Wainwright received her CNU bachelor’s degree in English in 1998. Their daughter, Bethany, will graduate from the University in the spring with a degree in psychology, and Bethany’s finance, David Zoll, earned a master’s degree in applied psychology from CNU in December.

Mr. Carter and Mrs. Wainwright live within walking distance of campus. “We’re on campus a lot,” Mr. Carter said. “We see it every day, every brick and every truck. We’re very excited about the Ferguson Center. It’s a phenomenal addition to the community.”

They get season tickets for most sports and are members of the Captains Crew, a fundraising organization for athletics. “Anything they invite us to, we go,” said Mrs. Wainwright, senior information developer for a Newport News software company. And they expect to be frequent patrons of the restaurants and other retailers opening in CNU Village.

“They are two of CNU’s most consistent supporters,” said C.J. Woollum, director of athletics and head coach of men’s basketball at CNU. “They have given of their time and money to help the University in so many different ways, and we are very grateful to them.”

The couple’s support for CNU stems from their belief in the importance of higher education. “I see as an employer on a daily basis what effect the University has on the community,” said Mr. Carter, a CPA and partner with Witt Mares in Newport News. “It’s beyond the sports and the arts; it’s the education – CNU is building a legacy in the business world.”

The accounting firm of Witt Mares is one of the largest employers of CNU graduates, Mr. Carter said, with about 30 employed in the Newport News office now.

“We see real people coming out of CNU,” he said. “They have the ideals of students, but they are the ones ready to work and to make an impact from day one.”

Because they want CNU to continue its positive effect on the community, Mr. Carter and Mrs. Wainwright support the University through donations and volunteer work. Mr. Carter was a member of the Alumni Board, and in the mid-1990s, his family established the Harold Carter Memorial Scholarship in honor of his father.

And Mr. Carter said he ends all conversations with “Go, Captains!”