Michigan Ross Alum Gives $5M to Create New True Grit Scholarship at the Business School
Ann Arbor, Mich. – Jan. 26, 2021 — The University of Michigan Ross School of Business is the recipient of a $5 million gift that funds need-based scholarship support for domestic and international business students.
Through the new True Grit Scholarship Fund, Michigan Ross will award partial and full-ride scholarships to current and incoming Full-Time MBA and BBA students who have demonstrated notable determination to succeed in business and in life. Recipients may include students who are the first in their families to pursue a degree at a post-secondary institution, and those who have overcome personal obstacles, served in the military, or otherwise exhibited personal fortitude and resilience in staking their own path in the world.
The scholarship was named and funded by a Michigan Ross graduate who wishes to remain anonymous. Upon making the gift, the Ross BBA alumnus said, “Some of the most amazing people I have had the privilege to work with don't fit molds or check predefined boxes but have, as a result, developed a determination that propels them throughout their lives. Michigan’s commitment to public education that gives many of these people a shot is exactly what today’s world needs. I am honored to help support Ross’s effort to educate these future leaders.”
“Perseverance and resilience are two qualities that make exceptional students and future business leaders,” said Scott DeRue, Edward J. Frey Dean at Michigan Ross. “I’m incredibly excited to announce the new True Grit Scholarship Fund to support students who have overcome challenges to pursue their business education at Michigan Ross. I’m also sincerely grateful to the Ross alumnus who has given this generous gift to support our students and transform people’s lives through education.”
Scholarship awardees will be selected by the Michigan Ross FTMBA and BBA program teams beginning in fall 2021. No applications will be required.
This scholarship is the latest significant gift that Michigan Ross has received this academic year aimed at ensuring students can pursue a world-class education no matter their financial means. The business school was given an additional $2.5 million gift to augment the John H. and Patricia W. Mitchell Scholarship Fund for student scholarships in business ethics and communications in October; $6 million to establish the Blau Initiative for Diversity in Real Estate and Infrastructure, which included a Related Scholars Fund in August; and $10 million to launch the Weiser Center for Real Estate and a new Weiser Scholars Fellowship in February.
About Michigan Ross
The Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan is a diverse learning community grounded in the principle that business can be an extraordinary vehicle for positive change in today's dynamic global economy. The Ross School of Business mission is to build a better world through business. Through thought and action, members of the Ross community drive change and innovation that improves business and society.
Ross is consistently ranked among the world's leading business schools. Academic degree programs include the BBA, MBA, part-time MBA (Evening, Weekend, and Online formats), Executive MBA, Global MBA, Master of Accounting, Master of Supply Chain Management, Master of Management, and PhD. In addition, the school delivers open-enrollment and custom executive education programs targeting general management, leadership development, and strategic human resource management. For more information, visit MichiganRoss.umich.edu.
