Blanche Garrett Memorial Endowment for Scholarship in Media Arts & Design

An endowed scholarship established by Dr. Marilou M. Johnson (‘80) and Dr. George Johnson, in memory of Dr. Marilou M. Johnson’s aunt, Blanche Garrett, a graduate of the Harrisonburg Normal & Industrial School for Women.

This scholarship will provide financial resources annually to the rising sophomore with the highest admission score, wishing to pursue their undergraduate degree within the School of Media Arts and Design. To be named a Garrett Scholar, the rising sophomore must have a grade point average of at least 3.25 and demonstrate financial need as determined by the University’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. If no rising sophomore applicant with a 3.25 or higher is eligible for financial aid, then the selection committee will award this scholarship to the rising sophomore applicant with the highest overall admission score.
The appointment of a student as a Blanche Garrett Memorial Scholar shall follow the guidelines and criteria outlined above, and the University’s guidelines for the awarding of scholarships; provided, however, that the following further specific conditions are here noted:

A student may seek this Scholarship only once during a student’s college career at James Madison University. Since the Scholarship will be given each year to a rising sophomore, the time to seek this Scholarship is at the time of the admission process into the School of Media Arts & Design during the student’s first year of study.

Once this endowment grows to a size sufficient to support more than one annual scholarship award, the Director for the School of Media Arts & Design, or the successor guardian for this account at the time, as the case may be, may elect to increase the number of annual scholarship awards; provided however, that once the endowment threshold level is reached, in no case may the level of each annual scholarship award be less than One Thousand Dollars.

It is intended that the Scholarship award decision will be made and announced each year by mid-March. It is anticipated that the actual payment of the Scholarship award shall be made each year prior to the start of the Garrett Scholar’s sophomore year.