It is the largest privately funded scholarship to date for the school.
The brothers, who have generously made gifts to both higher education institutions and public schools in West Virginia, say their efforts to make a difference in the lives of students is very important to their family.
“On behalf of Advantage Toyota, David and I are truly blessed to be able to establish this endowment,” said Shawn Ball, who is also a member of the Marshall University Board of Governors. “We wanted to provide some financial support to a local student who needs a little help. I graduated from Marshall in 1995 and the amount of growth the university has experienced since then is amazing.”
The Advantage Toyota Scholarship will be awarded to one student per year, for a total of four students when fully distributed.
The recipients will be incoming pharmacy students who attended Marshall University for their pre-pharmacy studies; who are residents of Cabell, Wayne, Putnam, Lincoln or Mason counties in West Virginia; and who have demonstrated financial need.
The award recipient(s) will be chosen annually by the school of pharmacy dean in cooperation with the office of student financial assistance.
“We are very grateful for this significant gift from Advantage Toyota,” said Gayle Brazeau, Ph.D., dean of the Marshall University School of Pharmacy. “The generosity of our community, as is evidenced by this endowment from Shawn and David Ball, is essential to the continued success of our school.”
Marshall’s school of pharmacy, which opened in 2012 and is currently located on the campus of the Huntington VA Medical Center, will move to a new facility on the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine campus in the fall of 2019. The new building, coupled with new housing for graduate medical and pharmacy students, was announced last month and is a growth initiative the Ball brothers say was a partial catalyst for their gift to the school of pharmacy.
“We believe this new investment in the school of pharmacy will have a huge economic impact on the city of Huntington and surrounding areas,” Shawn Ball said. “Marshall means a great deal to David and me and also to Advantage Toyota.”
Marshall’s school of pharmacy opened in 2012 and graduated its first class in 2016.
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Photos: (Above) Marshall University School of Pharmacy Dean Gayle Brazeau, left, Advantage Toyota owners Shawn Ball, who is also a member of the Marshall University Board of Governors and his brother David Ball, second from right, and Marshall University Foundation Chief Executive Officer Ron Area, right, pose for a photo during a check presentation at the school, Thursday, May 17. The $171,000 gift is for academic scholarships. (Below) Marshall University School of Pharmacy Dean Gayle Brazeau, right, shows Shawn Ball, a Marshall University Board of Governors member, artist’s renderings of the new school of pharmacy to be built on the medical campus of Marshall’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. Shawn Ball and his brother, David Ball, along with their company, Advantage Toyota, presented the school of pharmacy with a $171,000 scholarship endowment, Thursday, May 17, at the school.