Applicants Sought for Entrepreneurial Spirit Scholarship

JAMAS Capital Management created award to encourage pursuit of innovative business careers

The $2,500 Entrepreneurial Spirit of Mississippi Scholarship is intended to help UM students become the entrepreneurial business leaders of the future. Photo by Robert Jordan/Ole Miss Communications

OXFORD, Miss. – Students in the University of Mississippi’s School of Business Administration are encouraged to apply soon for a new scholarship funded by JAMAS Capital Management, a private investment firm based in Jackson.

The Entrepreneurial Spirit of Mississippi Scholarship, worth $2,500, is intended to help UM students become the entrepreneurial business leaders of the future by easing the financial burden of a college education. Applications must be received by Feb. 28. For more information and to apply for the scholarship, visit the JAMAS website.

Young leaders are capable of innovation and creative new approaches to all aspects of business, including innovative start-ups, said Ben O. Turnage, founder and CEO of JAMAS.

“We know that these young leaders have a unique, fresh perspective not always seen in the business world, as well as their own personal experiences to draw upon,” Turnage said. “Our hope is that by easing the financial burden of secondary education, we will see new UM graduates developing more innovative business start-ups in Mississippi.”

The JAMAS Entrepreneurial Spirit of Mississippi Scholarship is open to all students who are enrolled or have been accepted at Ole Miss. To be considered, applicants must have at least a 2.8 grade-point average and must submit a 500-to-1,000-word essay from their choice of three topics.

“We are thrilled that Ben, one of our outstanding entrepreneurs and investor in many Mississippi businesses, is funding this important scholarship,” said Ken Cyree, dean of the School of Business Administration. “Through this generous gift, we are able to enhance our Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and our entrepreneurship major, thereby encouraging our students to create new businesses and innovate in existing businesses. 

“This scholarship will allow us to have a long-term impact that enhances the economic value of businesses in Mississippi, the Southeast and throughout the world.”

The scholarship is a timely partnership with the Ole Miss entrepreneurship program because the full entrepreneurship major goes into effect this year, Cyree said.

Also, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which received the Emerging Entrepreneurship Award in 2015, provides opportunities for budding entrepreneurs to hone their start-up business ideas through the Gillespie Business Plan Competition, Pitch Night and Land Shark Tank Pitch programs. Interested students should contact the CIE for more information about how to get involved in programs that foster innovation and entrepreneurship for all businesses.

JAMAS Capital Management is a private investment firm providing a unique source of strategic capital to a broad spectrum of industry sectors. For more than 30 years, Turnage has founded, invested in and profitably grown companies across a variety of businesses, including enterprises in construction, residential/commercial real estate, oil field services and agri-foods.

For more information about JAMAS Capital Management or the Entrepreneurial Spirit of Mississippi Scholarship, contact Susan Segars at 404-808-0075 or by email at susans@qcom-inc.com.

For more information on programs in the UM School of Business Administration, go to http://www.olemissbusiness.com/.