A new $250,000 gift from Brad Hughes (MU '84 in Finance), retired CEO at Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, finalized earlier this month will establish the Hughes Family Scholars Scholarship and Internship Support Fund at the Farmer School of Business. 

The new fund will be used to provide scholarship support for first-generation students and students from underserved populations who are studying in the Farmer School of Business and to provide financial support for Hughes Family Scholars that participate in the Altman Summer Scholars Internship Program. 

Hughes Family Scholars will be eligible to receive a stipend of up to $3,000 for internships provided through the Altman Summer Scholars Program. 

Most of the gift will be used to fund the scholarships for the students, while a portion will be dedicated to the stipend for the internships. The $250,000 gift will be matched $1 to $1 by the Farmer Family Foundation, doubling the impact of the gift. Miami University will match $.50 to $1 of the Hughes gift allocated to fund scholarships for Hughes Family Scholars. The two matching gifts transform the $250,000 gift into $613,000 in benefits.

This is the third program established since 2019 that works toward supporting first-gen and underserved students. The Ryan Family Scholars Program provides Ryan Family Scholars up to $20,000 annually for tuition/room and board/fees, dedicated academic and career advising, and guaranteed internships through the Altman Summer Scholars Internship Program. The recently-created Grainger Scholars program provides up to $5,000 in scholarship support for first-generation students and students from underserved populations, internship support and advising support for all students enrolled in ESP degree programs.

Like the Ryan Family Scholars and Grainger Scholars, all of the Hughes Family Scholars will participate in the Passport Program, an FSB-created high-touch program designed specifically to provide an individualized support system for the students taking part in the program.