Honor Roddy Amenta’s collaborative vision and give outstanding geology majors the chance to study with dedicated faculty mentors like him.

As an environmental science professor, Roddy Amenta played a critical role in the development of the discipline at JMU for 37 years and was a strong voice for students. Faculty and students alike knew him as a tireless and dedicated teacher who always found time to help his students succeed.

Just as importantly, Amenta espoused the value of collaboration among the sciences and its impact on the world today. He was respected and admired by his colleagues as a source of clear and in-depth thinking on the intersection of geology with physics and chemistry.

Your gift to grow the Roddy V. Amenta Memorial Scholarship Endowment will provide financial resources for outstanding undergraduate student scholars in the Department of Geology and Environmental Science to study and conduct research under the guidance of dedicated professors like Amenta.

That’s a rare opportunity at most universities. But at JMU, your gift will perpetuate our distinct balance of intense science instruction, hands-on research, liberal arts foundation and mentorship by engaged and expert professors like Roddy Amenta. That means students will graduate as skilled scientists with the context to make wise and effective decisions on issues that will help improve society.

Together, by combining our vision and talents, we can help more outstanding geology majors get the early start that qualifies them ahead of the research curve to enter graduate school, research labs, the teaching profession, the workforce or anywhere else they seek to go to boost America's culture of innovation and discovery.

That’s how the national model of the Engaged University operates. Your gift makes it possible.