Jean H. Proffitt Scholarship

We hope you will consider a contribution or annual gift in support of the Jean H. Proffitt Scholarship Fund. Not only will your support help deserving adult students reach their educational goals, it will honor Jean Proffitt's more than 38 years at the School of Continuing Studies.

To make an online contribution to the Jean H. Proffitt Scholarship Fund, fill out the University's online giving form. In the "Designation" field labeled "Other" type in "The Jean H. Proffitt Scholarship Fund."

For nearly four decades, students have expressed their appreciation for Jean and her warm and caring manner.

"With your sincere encouragement, I really did believe in myself."

"With gratitude, I thank (you) for offering me a new and exciting educational direction."

"The purpose of this letter is to let you know you have touched my life. By that I mean that you have encouraged, guided, influenced, and pushed my life to change in such a positive way."

Many graduates of the School of Continuing Studies state they would not have completed their degrees without the help and inspiration of Jean Proffitt. Jean feels as strongly about students as they do about her: "I watch them stretch and grow and reach goals they once thought impossible. To play a small part in changing their lives is a wonderful feeling that gives me a great sense of worth and accomplishment."

Also grateful to Jean are the thousands of adults who now read and write because of her tireless efforts as a literacy advocate. "Literacy consumes my time," she said recently. She has spoken and given workshops on the topic locally, nationally and internationally. Dialog, a publication of the American Society for Training and Development, calls her a "pioneer of the literacy movement in Virginia."

Jean was the driving force in starting the Literary Council of Metropolitan Richmond (the READ Center), the Virginia Literacy Coalition, Inc. and the Virginia Student Alliance. According to Proffitt, "It is not enough to teach an individual to read; we must provide opportunities for additional learning and development of life skills."

Jean summarizes her experience at the University of Richmond: "I once told Dr. Heilman (former UR President) that he thought he had the best job on campus, but I knew that I did."