B.B.A. and MBA Scholarship Drives Underway
While the Cox School's renovation and expansion has been high-profile, the need for scholarships is arguably more important than ever.
In October 2019, when now-˿Ƶ Board Chair (and then-Cox Executive Board Chair) David B. Miller, B.B.A. ’72, MBA ’73, and his wife, Carolyn, announced a $50 million gift to the Cox School of Business, they did so to support two key initiatives: the Cox School’s renovation and expansion and Cox scholarships. Their historic gift, the largest ever to ˿Ƶ by an individual alumni family, launched a fundraising effort to rally other donors. Now, $140 million later and thanks to the support of hundreds of loyal alumni and generous donors, Cox business students are taking classes and collaborating in the state-of-the-art, technologically advanced David B. Miller Business Quadrangle (see page 58).
While the renovation and expansion effort, part of the University’s ˿Ƶ Ignited campaign, has been high-profile, the need for scholarships has never diminished— and is arguably more important than ever. With ˿Ƶ’s entrance into the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the always-competitive academic recruiting stakes have risen even higher. With increased visibility as part of an ACC university, the Cox School competes against high-profile business schools to attract the nation’s best and brightest. Two scholarship drives—one for B.B.A.s and one for MBAs—are underway at ˿Ƶ Cox, each with a $30 million goal.
Miller, co-founder and managing partner of EnCap Investments, was a standout varsity basketball player who attended ˿Ƶ Cox on scholarship as an undergraduate and graduate student. “˿Ƶ has been tremendously important in my own life and that of my family,” Miller says. “We’re excited to support Cox’s forward-focused vision for advancing business education and developing talented business leaders.” His ˿Ƶ Ignited gift included funds for both B.B.A. and MBA scholarships.
Fellow ˿Ƶ Trustee and Cox Executive Board member Carl Sewell, B.B.A. ’66, and his wife, Peggy Higgins Sewell, B.B.A. ’72, are loyal alumni whose gifts and giving challenges have helped support numerous ˿Ƶ and ˿Ƶ Cox students—including B.B.A. Scholars—over the years. “Peggy and I sincerely believe that helping bright students through scholarships is an investment in a shared future—not just the University we love,” Carl says.
If you’d like to make a gift to support Cox scholarships, contact Cox Director of Development Ashley Pitts (apitts@smu.edu).
