Scholarship Overview
This four-year $2,500 annual scholarship is awarded to the most promising journalist entering JMU as a first-year student. The award recognizes the student’s demonstrated commitment to journalism, as well as promise of high academic achievement at JMU. The scholarship is paired with a Madison Award for Academic Excellence making the scholarship package worth about $12,000 per year for the most recent recipient. In addition, the Byrd-Mims scholar will be directly admitted to the journalism concentration in the School of Media Arts & Design instead of having to apply during the school’s regular admission period in the spring.
The Byrd-Mims Journalism Scholarships were enhanced in 2009 by a $250,000 donation to JMU’s journalism scholarship endowment from the late Virginia Senator Harry F. Byrd Jr., whose family owned Harrisonburg’s Daily News-Record/Rockingham Publishing. The scholarships honor their benefactor, Sen. Byrd, and his friend and associate D. Lathan Mims, who served for many years as editor and general manager of the Daily News-Record.
Prospective students can apply through the Madison Scholarship Hub, which you can access through this JMU page. The opportunity opens at the beginning of the spring semester in January. Application materials are due by 5 p.m. March 15, 2024.
The Byrd-Mims Scholar must enroll for a minimum of 12 hours each semester, maintain a 3.0 JMU grade-point average, and participate continuously in the JMU student media.
Annual award amount
$2,500 annual four-year scholarship
Eligibility Criteria
Freshmen
GPA
Minimum 3.0
Eligibility Requirements
Incoming first-year student
Special application requirements
Deadline
17:00 PM Friday, March 1, 2024
Award Announcement
