Barbara and Gilbert Parker

The Alison Bailey Parker (’12) Memorial Scholarship Endowment in Journalism was established November 15, 2015 by Barbara and Gilbert Parker in memory of their daughter. On April 13, 2017, the donors signed an amendment to revise the criteria of the scholarship to the following:

Beginning in spring 2017 for the 2017-2018 academic year: The SMAD Scholarship Committee, in consultation with the journalism faculty, will consider awarding one merit-based scholarship to a SMAD major with an outstanding record in journalism. The recipient will be a rising senior who is a full-time student, preferably with a grade-point average of at least 3.0. Following the example of Alison Parker, a strong record of involvement in journalism-related extracurricular activities, such as The Breeze, Bluestone or internships is required. If the Scholarship Committee makes no award in a given year, the income earmarked for the award will be reinvested in the endowment. Scholarship awards will be administered at the discretion of the Director of the School of Media Arts and Design. Beyond this criteria, the selection of recipients will follow the university’s guidelines for the awarding of scholarships.

Beginning in spring 2018 for the 2018-2019 academic year: One competitive scholarship will be awarded annually within the School of Media Arts & Design to an exemplary incoming freshman who shares Alison Parker’s deep passion for journalism and commitment to academic excellence. The Parker Scholarship is renewable up to three years as long as the student remains a SMAD major, maintains a 3.0 grade-point average, enrolls in at least 12 hours per semester, and is continuously involved in the JMU student media. There is no financial need component to this scholarship. A portion of the annual allocation from the endowment will be split evenly among the students receiving the Parker Scholarship (up to four students). Scholarships will be awarded at the discretion of the Director of the School of Media Arts and Design in consultation with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. Beyond this criteria, the selection of recipients will follow the university’s guidelines for the awarding of scholarships.

To transition to the new criteria, for the 2017-2018 academic year, the scholarship will be renewed for the current junior recipient as long as the student maintains full-time status during the student’s senior year. The student will receive 80% of the amount allocated for 2017-2018 per the original criteria of the scholarship. The remaining 20% may be used for the one merit-based scholarship described above.