Joneses' gift aims to advance STEM

JMU President Jonathan R. Alger announced a gift commitment of more than $1.3 million for scholarships from Stanley ('54) and Rosemary Jones of Alexandria, Virginia, at the Annual Stewardship Luncheon on March 15.

Amid the audience of major-gift donors, Alger recognized the couple for helping to open doors for promising and deserving students in the STEM fields. The Joneses have pledged to give $50,000 a year for the rest of their lifetimes as well as an estate gift. Their investment will provide scholarships for first-generation students in the College of Science and Mathematics and the College of Integrated Science and Engineering who are also Honors College students.

Stanley Jones said his achievements in life are because of his education and that he and his wife made this gift to JMU because they want others to enjoy that same opportunity.

“Education has been everything to me,” Jones said before the luncheon. “We are fortunate and need to offer someone else the opportunity of education.”

In designating their gift to benefit students in JMU’s two science-focused colleges as well as the Honors College, the Joneses believe they will assist deserving students in attaining high-quality education to advance the country’s scientific and technological capabilities.

Jones, who grew up in Harrisonburg, is a 1954 graduate of mathematics and physics at JMU and a master’s graduate of the University of Delaware. He has spent his engineering career in aviation. As an engineer for The MITRE Corp., Jones specialized in antennae design and development. He also received the College of Science and Mathematics Alumni Achievement Award at the JMU Alumni Association Awards banquet on March 15.

Rosemary Jones is a successful real estate agent in Northern Virginia.

The announcement of the Joneses’ gift commitment comes as Unleashed: The Campaign for James Madison University stands at $134 million, more than two-thirds of the way to the $200 million campaign goal. 

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