Thanks to the generosity of the Gerald and Paula McNichols Family Foundation, a new endowed scholarship was established at Shenandoah University in February. The scholarship will be awarded with a preference to undergraduate engineering and business students who are in good standing and demonstrate financial need.
The McNichols Family Foundation, started by Gerald (“Mac”) and Paula in 2001, is a charitable organization whose mission is to provide educational enrichment opportunities to groups and communities in need. The foundation sponsors activities and organizations that offer opportunities for young people to engage with arts, music, animals, history, science and technology in ways that they may otherwise not have access to.
It’s because of the generosity of people like Mac and Paula McNichols that Shenandoah University is able to continue adding more and more opportunities for its students. Mac and Paula have traveled the world, but they have chosen to invest here locally. Their passion for supporting the education of students from all walks of life is truly inspiring, and I speak for everyone at Shenandoah University, including the students who will benefit from this tremendous gift for years to come, when I express my sincerest gratitude to the McNichols family.”
Tracy Fitzsimmons, Ph.D., Shenandoah University president
Mac and Paula McNichols both graduated with engineering degrees from Case Western Reserve University. Paula later earned a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of the University Pennsylvania while Mac, a U.S. Air Force veteran, earned a doctorate from George Washington University before working eight years at the Pentagon. Mac started and later sold a successful company, using the proceeds to establish the Gerald and Paula McNichols Family Foundation.
The McNichols are passionate about education and have supported a variety of programs. Locally, their foundation has funded the Fremont Street Nursery and other initiatives in Winchester, Virginia, and provides support for the Community Foundation of the Northern Shenandoah Valley. The Gerald and Paula McNichols Family Foundation has also funded the creation of an engineering management program at Case Western Reserve University; an Ohio school system program for children who are left without adult supervision for significant portions of the day; an organization in Alabama that helps children with disabilities to hunt; and a music education program at the Kennedy Center.
Mac and Paula McNichols have three grown children who are actively involved in the foundation’s work.
The McNichols family’s endowed scholarship at Shenandoah will be managed as part of the overall endowment of the university, and any individual may add to this fund at any time. To learn more about how to support Shenandoah University, visit su.edu/su-giving or contact give@su.edu.
