The estate of a 1949 JMU graduate is giving nearly $6 million to JMU, the largest cash gift in the university’s history.

The gift from the estate of Frances Weir will enable the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to award approximately $240,000 annually in scholarship funds in perpetuity. Her endowment will support students who need financial help and who maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher with scholarships that are renewable for three years.

President Jonathan R. Alger said Weir, “broke new ground throughout her career, and she has done so again with her gift to JMU.”

Weir graduated from JMU in the class of 1949, when it was still Madison College. She studied business education and was part of many campus organizations.