Food City endows scholarship for community college transfers to JMU

A new scholarship endowed by Food City will help connect top graduates from western Virginia community colleges to the James Madison University College of Business. 

The Jack C. Smith Scholarship, announced in late September by the Jack and Judy Smith Family Foundation, provides $5,000 annual awards to rising juniors in the COB who hold an associate degree from one of four Virginia community colleges that satisfies JMU's general education requirements.

"This scholarship will provide a means to attract strong students from an under-represented part of the commonwealth. It will strengthen the university's ability to support a desirable cadre of potential students, associate's degree graduates from our state's community colleges," said Weston Hatfield, JMU associate vice president for development. "It will create a template for an idea that JMU hopes to replicate in other parts of Virginia to similar effect." 

The scholarship honors Jack C. Smith, an entrepreneur and former U.S. Navy engineer who grew a small market in Grundy, Va., into what is now K-VA-T Food Stores, operating more than 100 Food City and Super Dollar stores across Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. Smith's son, Steve, CEO and president of Food City, is a 1979 graduate of JMU. 

The four partnering community colleges are Mountain Empire Community College, Virginia Highlands Community College, Southwest Virginia Community College and Wytheville Community College. 

Students at the community colleges may apply for the scholarship by completing the transfer admissions application by the appropriate deadline and declaring a major within the COB on the application. 

Jack C. Smith scholars are selected by the COB in coordination with the JMU admissions office and the financial aid and scholarships office. No additional application is required. Scholars must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 to be eligible for the award. 

The total value of the scholarship will be $10,000 for two years, provided the scholar maintains good standing with the university and a GPA of 3.0. Scholarship recipients also are eligible for an internship at K-VA-T Food Stores during the summer preceding his or her senior year. 

For more information, view the scholarship brochure (PDF).