Seeing the Potential
With an endowment goal of $50 million, the Jackson-Hope Fund provides a unique source of support for especially promising academic initiatives that might otherwise languish in competition for the Institute’s resources.
Named after the Jackson-Hope Medal, the annual cadet award for the highest academic achievement, the Fund directly benefits cadets and faculty through innovative advancements in the academic program, guided by the goals and objectives set forth in VMI’s Strategic Plan and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Quality Enhancement Plan.
The Jackson-Hope Fund is distinctive in that contributions are made with no specific purpose other than to support academics, and principal donors are actively involved in the process by approving the Institute’s use of the funds and monitoring performance. Since its inception in 2001, the Fund has raised over $37 million and has provided close to $26 million in grants in support of key academic initiatives. This support has been instrumental in many of the successes of VMI’s academic program.
Initiatives
The support provided by the Jackson-Hope Fund is a source of inspiration and encouragement to the Institute’s faculty and staff to develop as teachers and scholars who are able to stimulate and promote academic engagement among cadets.
To meet its goal of advancing academic excellence at Virginia Military Institute, the Board of Overseers has worked with the Dean of the Faculty to develop funding priorities for initiatives that boldly advance academic achievement.
The Fund has been used to support curricular and pedagogical innovations within traditional academic disciplines, faculty development programming, professorships in emerging areas of study, and purchases of special equipment and computer resources.
Jackson-Hope has made possible pursuit of key initiatives that make VMI a distinctive college, such as the Math Education Resource Center’s Open Math Lab, the VMI Center for Undergraduate Research, and programming in the Center for Leadership and Ethics. Jackson-Hope has also provided resources to recruit, retain, and develop an outstanding faculty that is committed to undergraduate education.
The Jackson-Hope Fund is making a great difference at the Institute.
Expenditures by Program, 2001-2025
| PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT | EXPENDITURE | % of TOTAL |
| Undergraduate Research | $4,609,100 | 17.96% |
| Multi-Department Initiatives | $4,576,300 | 17.83% |
| Faculty Development | $3,583,600 | 13.96% |
| Center for Leadership and Ethics | $2,995,600 | 11.67% |
| International Studies and Political Science | $1,434,900 | 5.59% |
| Psychology/Leadership | $1,384,700 | 5.40% |
| Modern Languages and Cultures | $1,298,700 | 5.06% |
| Faculty Recruitment | $1,045,400 | 4.07% |
| Applied Mathematics | $906,700 | 3.53% |
| English, Rhetoric and Humanistic Studies | $769,300 | 3.00% |
| Mechanical Engineering | $689,000 | 2.68% |
| Civil Engineering | $605,700 | 2.36% |
| Chemistry | $536,000 | 2.09% |
| History | $224,900 | 0.88% |
| Economics and Business | $217,000 | 0.85% |
| Human Performance and Wellness | $211,800 | 0.83% |
| Faculty Bonus | $193,300 | 0.75% |
| Physics | $142,700 | 0.56% |
| Biology | $132,000 | 0.51% |
| Electrical & Computer Engineering | $82,000 | 0.32% |
| Computer & Information Sciences | $26,500 | 0.10% |
Questions? We’re Here to Help
Connect with The Jackson-Hope Fund
Email: dean@vmi.edu
Phone: (540) 464-7212
Email: mking@vmiaa.org
Phone: (540) 464-7287