JU’s Amalia Vogler named first $10,000 Kinne Scholar

Jacksonville University and the Davis College of Business congratulate Amalia Vogler as the first recipient of the prestigious Harry and Frances Kinne Scholar award for graduate business study.

Originally from France, Vogler graduated summa cum laude from JU in December 2012 with a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing, all while studying in her second language. This fall she will start JU’s MBA program with a concentration in accounting and finance. Amalia hopes to make Jacksonville her home for many years to come.

The $10,000 Kinne Scholarship for graduate business students was created through the generosity of Frances Bartlett Kinne, past president and chancellor emeritus of Jacksonville University, and her late husband, Harry. Fran Kinne worked to create the College of Business soon after becoming JU’s president in 1979.

“I am so happy to provide the resources for Amalia to earn her MBA at JU,” Kinne said. “One of my first official initiatives was to bring together the resources to start JU’s business college in 1979. As a new president, I realized that the business college would become a valuable resource for local companies and provide a great opportunity for JU students.”

The award, to be used toward the honorees’ tuition in their first academic year, was established to recognize the top applicants applying to the Davis College of Business graduate programs.

Candidates applying for fall admission in the MBA, specialized masters or JU’s new doctoral program in business are eligible for the Kinne scholarship. Three or four Kinne Scholarships will be awarded annually through the generosity of Fran Kinne, who at 96 continues to help move JU forward in meaningful ways, said DCOB Dean Don Capener.

“Fran heard we were turning away some of our best candidates because they lacked the funding or support to continue into an advanced degree,” he said. “She stepped in with her own resources and is actively soliciting for more.”

Future candidates will be chosen by the dean and Kinne each summer from among hundreds of applicants to the graduate business program.

“I am grateful for Fran’s generosity and insight to pay it forward,” Capener added. “She knows where and how this effort will benefit JU. It is a gift from her heart to future business leaders who she believes will give back to JU.”

Vogler came to JU from Berstett, France, to pursue her business education and participate in NCAA Division I track and field. Among her many accomplishments, she is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma business international honor society and Who’s Who Among Students honor society. She was named to the President’s List in 2009 through 2012, named A-Sun all-academic in years 2009-2012, and earned the Outstanding Student of Marketing 2012-2013 Award. Vogler is a two-time medal holder in the 800-meter race at the French National Championships.

DCOB continues to seek exceptional students for the Kinne Merit Scholarship. To be eligible as a Kinne Scholar, the applicant must have a completed admissions file and submit the scholarship application by Aug. 1, 2013.

For more information about this scholarship and to obtain the application, contact AnnaMaria Murphy, graduate admissions counselor, at (904) 256-7426 or amurphy8@ju.edu.