2.15.24

Significant scholarship established to benefit LAS and CFA students

In 1971, Mike James was finishing out his year as WSU’s student body president and preparing to graduate from WSU with a degree in political science. He had attended Wichita State on a basketball scholarship and planned to apply for scholarships to go to law school. But as is often the course with best-laid-plans – things change.

Uncertain about what his career trajectory would be, James thought about many future possibilities. But what he didn’t imagine in those last days as a Shocker student was one day giving $1.5 million to create a scholarship program at WSU. And yet, 52 years later, that’s exactly what he did. To be awarded through the Distinguished Scholarship Invitational, the newly established Mike and Mary James Scholarship will provide $10,000 each year for four years to a student in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or the College of Fine Arts.

“The experiences I had at Wichita State – the people I met, the things I participated in – they went a long way to forming who I am,” James says. “I’d like to see as many students as possible have the same opportunities I had.” He isn’t exaggerating about how important the connections he made at WSU were. His first job came about through a local banker who knew him from the basketball team. “He asked me if I had any interest in banking, and I didn’t,” he says with a laugh. “But I didn’t know what else to do, so I said, ‘Sure, I’ll talk to someone.’”

He was offered a position at a bank in Chicago, and from there his career took off. Since then, he has worked as a vice president or higher at eight different Fortune 100 companies, including Nestlé, Kraft and Motorola. Demanding as his work schedule was, he focused on family – even joining his wife, a professional model, for a photo shoot or two. (That’s “monster” James, BTW, lurking in the background of the photo above.) And he stayed connected to his alma mater. In 2017, he was recognized with the Alumni Achievement Award. He joined the WSU Foundation’s National Advisory Council in 2011 and has served as a member of the Fairmount College Advisory Council as well as on the WSUFAE’s board of directors.

“I think you really owe the university something for all the energy that people there have put into your life,” he says. “A college education can change the trajectory of your life, wherever that leads.”