Join the community that gives back

In these challenging times, it’s more important than ever that College of Business donors step up to ensure the Madison Experience isn’t beyond the reach of students who are otherwise well-qualified but lack the necessary financial means. With Giving Day 2025 only a few weeks away, several students share below how their scholarships have set them up to succeed.

Ryan Varricchio
Junior
Business Management

“I hope that someday, after I've embarked on my career, I can reinvest a portion of my earnings as a donor to JMU's College of Business. I would love to make it possible for someone who follows in my footsteps to experience the same happy surprise I felt in being selected for the Craig C. Bram ('80) and Kimberly Gooch Bram ('80) Endowed Scholarship. It has enabled me to be more focused on my formal studies while also gathering valuable experience in areas that relate to my specific job aspirations.”

Treasure Jones
Senior
Accounting and Marketing

“As a first-generation college student, it has felt good to be able to say, ‘I've worked hard, I've applied myself, and now I've been rewarded with funding I need to continue my studies.’ Becoming a recipient of the John Howard Connor Scholarship and the Carol E. Smith Endowed Scholarship in Accounting has relieved a lot of financial stress and allowed me to become more independent—including serving as a Pathfinder in JMU's Student Leadership Center. This has promoted the development of my own leadership skills as I’ve grown more confident about encouraging fellow students to take advantage of the resources available to them. I've enjoyed helping them and look forward to doing it more!” 

Berkley Smith
Junior
Economics and Psychology

“Receiving the Robert Reid Endowed Scholarship has allowed me to focus fully on my studies. I now have the financial security I need in order to plan not only for the short term but also the long term. Thanks to the scholarship, I may even have the option to attend graduate school at some point. I’m grateful to be able to think about my future as opposed to worrying so much about day-to-day expenses.”

Patricia Ward
Junior
Quantitative Finance and Mathematics

“I’m grateful that as a recipient of the Ferguson Family Scholarship I have been able to pursue a degree in the highly competitive field of Quantitative Finance and yet still launch into adulthood debt-free. It’s at the level of my daily routine that I find myself appreciating it most. The stress that goes with being a college student would be much greater if I had to face it without a financial safety net. Survival is so much easier when you have the ability to pay for textbooks and still have enough left over to save a little bit.”