Greenville medical school receives $1.5 million

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With a $1.5 million donation from the Jolley Foundation, the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville will launch a scholarship endowment for students in need.

The James E. Jolley Scholarship Endowment will provide financial assistance for two students each year by offsetting the cost of tuition and student fees. The first scholarships will be awarded this year to candidates whose life experiences demonstrate the ability to overcome economic adversity, cultural or geographic barriers to success, or illness, according to the news release.

“The James E. Jolley Scholarship Endowment will strive to support young people who love medicine, who value the University of South Carolina School of Medicine at Greenville’s approach to medical training and who want to make a difference in the lives of others and their community,” James “Duff” Bruce, board chair of the Jolley Foundation and nephew of the endowment’s namesake, Jimmy Jolley, said in the release.

The Jolley Foundation extended a $100,000 scholarship to the school in 2015, which primed the pump for the creation of the endowment.

“This wonderful family is thoughtful and intentional in directing their philanthropy to positively impact lives and communities; just hearing of this gift brought tears to my eyes and immense joy,” Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, dean of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and chief academic officer for Prisma Health-Upstate, said in the release. “Each student recipient of the James E. Jolley Scholarship will be gifted not only with funding, but also with the freedom to learn and grow into amazing physicians without the fear of a major debt load upon graduation. The endowment will allow students the opportunity to choose the type of doctors they truly desire to be — based on preference, rather than solely on future earning potential.”