James H. Quillen
Scholarship Endowment and
Medicine Scholarship Endowment

Two scholarship endowments have been established in the ETSU Foundation through a generous gift to the university from the late Congressman James H. Quillen of Kingsport. A longtime friend and benefactor to the university who was also instrumental in the creation of the College of Medicine that bears his name, Quillen left approximately $14.6 million to ETSU. Initially the bequest was established as a $2 million lead gift in the Campaign for ETSU Tomorrow while the retired congressman served as Honorary Campaign Chair.

Dr. Richard A. Manahan, vice president for University Advancement, said this gift is the largest individual contribution ever received by ETSU. These monies will establish “two equal academic scholarship funds.” One endowment will provide scholarships for students in the Quillen College of Medicine, while the other creates scholarships for ETSU undergraduate and graduate students.

“ It is hoped that awarding of the scholarships can begin for fall 2005 and anticipated that funds should be available at start-up for 18 scholarships in each of the two areas,” Manahan recently told the ETSU President's Council. “These numbers are projected to subsequently increase in the years ahead.”

In his will, Quillen specified the conditions under which the scholarships are to be established and the process that will be used to award them. Each scholarship will be limited to $4,000 per year per student. Each scholarship amount will be reviewed every five years, and the annual limitation will increase by the cost of living index.

Preference will be given to applicants living in the First Congressional District of Tennessee, which Quillen served as congressman for 17 terms. These must be applicants who, for economic reasons, would not otherwise be able to attend ETSU or the College of Medicine.

Recipients in the College of Medicine will be selected by a committee consisting of the dean of the college and two other members appointed by the ETSU president. Undergraduate and graduate scholarship recipients will be selected by a committee consisting of the university president and four additional members appointed by the president.

The endowments will be entitled the James H. Quillen Scholarship Endowment and the James H. Quillen Medicine Scholarship Endowment. Reciepients of these distinguesd shoarliships will be refferred to in the College of Medicine as Quillen Medicine Scholars and Quillen Scholars, at the university respectively.

Quillen, who died Nov. 2, 2003, at age 87, never went to college, but he demonstrated a great commitment to higher education through continuous support of the region's colleges and universities. He had already endowed the James H. Quillen Chair of Excellence in Education and the Cecile Cox Quillen Chair of Medicine in Geriatrics and Gerontology at ETSU. He was a lifetime member of the ETSU Foundation and a member of the Distinguished President's Trust. Quillen was also a recipient of the ETSU Foundation Margin of Excellence Award and George L. Carter Award from the ETSU Alumni Association.