J. Binford Walford Scholarships in Architecture

An endowed scholarship established by the Estate of Aurelia Behm Walford. James Madison University transferred the full amount of this gift plus its accumulated earnings to the JMU Foundation, Inc. for the purpose of establishing an endowed scholarship account. The J. Binford Walford Scholarships in Architecture account will be administered as follows:

1. Application will be initiated by the student, generally in the spring of the academic year. The application may be accompanied by letters of recommendation from professors or any other person regarding the applicant’s ability and/or serious intent to pursue architecture.
2. All applications will be reviewed and ranked by the Walford Scholarship Committee, which shall include representatives of the Department of Music, the Department of Communication Arts, and the Department of Art, or comparable academic departments. The committee shall meet with the applicants in person and shall consider the applicant’s statement as to his goals and interest in pursuing a career in architecture, his proposed program of study, his prior academic performance and prior experience, if any, and any papers or portfolio of projects that would support the project.
3. The decision of the committee will be made on the basis of the merit of the applicant. Scholarship eligibility shall be limited to art majors who plan to take courses directly related to architecture and who express an interest in pursuing architecture as a career.
4. Recipients of the scholarship shall be assigned an advisor in the Department of Art who will assist them in selecting courses which will facilitate their entry in a school of architecture upon graduation. The advisor will meet with the students periodically and will communicate with the schools of architecture within the State to help plan the course of study that would be most directly related to architecture.
5. The scholarship will be renewable as long as the student pursues this course. The committee may award the scholarships in varying amounts and numbers depending on the funds available and the number and merit of applicants. The scholarships will be renewable only through application. The individual student’s continued study of architecture and progress will be reviewed by the student’s program advisor, in consultation with the student’s professors, and this review would be forwarded to the committee.