B.B.A. and MBA Scholarship Drives Underway
While the Cox School's renovation and expansion has been high-profile, the need for scholarships is arguably more important than ever.
In October 2019, when now-ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Board Chair (and then-Cox Executive Board Chair) David B. Miller, B.B.A. ’72, MBA ’73, and his wife, Carolyn, announced a $50 million gift to the Cox School of Business, they did so to support two key initiatives: the Cox School’s renovation and expansion and Cox scholarships. Their historic gift, the largest ever to ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ by an individual alumni family, launched a fundraising effort to rally other donors. Now, $140 million later and thanks to the support of hundreds of loyal alumni and generous donors, Cox business students are taking classes and collaborating in the state-of-the-art, technologically advanced David B. Miller Business Quadrangle (see page 58).
While the renovation and expansion effort, part of the University’s ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Ignited campaign, has been high-profile, the need for scholarships has never diminished— and is arguably more important than ever. With ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½’s entrance into the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the always-competitive academic recruiting stakes have risen even higher. With increased visibility as part of an ACC university, the Cox School competes against high-profile business schools to attract the nation’s best and brightest. Two scholarship drives—one for B.B.A.s and one for MBAs—are underway at ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Cox, each with a $30 million goal.
Miller, co-founder and managing partner of EnCap Investments, was a standout varsity basketball player who attended ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Cox on scholarship as an undergraduate and graduate student. “ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ has been tremendously important in my own life and that of my family,” Miller says. “We’re excited to support Cox’s forward-focused vision for advancing business education and developing talented business leaders.” His ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Ignited gift included funds for both B.B.A. and MBA scholarships.
Fellow ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Trustee and Cox Executive Board member Carl Sewell, B.B.A. ’66, and his wife, Peggy Higgins Sewell, B.B.A. ’72, are loyal alumni whose gifts and giving challenges have helped support numerous ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ and ÕýÆ·À¶µ¼º½ Cox students—including B.B.A. Scholars—over the years. “Peggy and I sincerely believe that helping bright students through scholarships is an investment in a shared future—not just the University we love,” Carl says.
If you’d like to make a gift to support Cox scholarships, contact Cox Director of Development Ashley Pitts (apitts@smu.edu).
