Alumna Is a True Maroon

Karen Jones (Photos by Mike Ledford)

Karen Burroughs Jones ’74 has long been the pint-sized powerhouse behind the College’s Alumni Association Scholarship Program – engaging alumni and encouraging them to give back through alumni scholarships since she joined Alumni Affairs in 1991. It still took her by surprise, however, to learn that she was also the name in front of one of those scholarships.

At its June 2017 meeting, the Alumni Association Board announced that it had committed $25,000 and challenged alumni to match that number to establish the Karen Burroughs Jones ’74 Alumni Scholarship. And, in a testament to alumni’s admiration of Jones, the scholarship had the funds to be endowed by the end of September.

“I’m incredibly honored and grateful that they would name this for me – it has been my privilege to work with alumni and parents who have established scholarships through the Alumni Scholarship Program,” says Jones, director of communications for Alumni Affairs and executive secretary for the Alumni Association, adding that the scholarship continues to accept donations, and – like the other Alumni Association scholarships offered since 1961 – it’s available to undergraduates with demonstrated leadership potential and is renewable for up to three years. “The donors who establish scholarships are doing so out of love for the College and a strong desire to help others through education – I simply assist them in making that dream come true for both the donors and a new generation of students. It is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job.”