Emory & Henry Former President Receives Surprise Honor in new School of Business Building
Members of the Emory & Henry College Board of Trustees and current students in the School of Business program gathered at Carriger Hall to celebrate the naming of its new board room in honor of 21st President Jake B. Schrum.
This was the first preview of the building since renovations started in Fall of 2021. The building was used as a men’s dormitory and built in two phases in 1904 and 1908. A grand opening ceremony will be held in August 2023 when students return to campus and all the construction is finished.
Schrum was recognized by his peers including lifelong friend and donor, John Oden.
“Jake and I have known each other a long time, and have traveled many trails together,” said Oden. “He is someone who was destined to be a leader. He became president of the student body when we were together at Southwestern University, and since then has been president of three colleges and universities, most recently Emory & Henry.”
Oden describes Schrum as a goal-setter, a visionary, someone who gets it done and a true friend. “My friendship with him has grown stronger every year. Friendship is one of life’s greatest bonds and one of life’s greatest mysteries. I’ve never met anyone who knows Jake who doesn’t consider him a friend. I know that Jake contributed a lot to Emory & Henry during his tenure as president. And I think Emory & Henry can be proud to have had such a strong leader and class act at the helm. Naming this Board Room after Jake is a most appropriate acknowledgment of his contributions that will live on in this college’s bright future.”
Carriger Hall will open to Emory & Henry’s School of Business in August 2023. The former men’s dormitory is being renovated to accommodate high-tech classrooms and a new spacious, multi-tiered outdoor gathering space for the entire campus to enjoy. The building is on the National Registry for historic preservation. The School of Business is transforming the College’s undergraduate business department and emphasizes the value of work and the development of creative, problem-solving leaders. Executive Education, certificates and a new online MBA starting Fall 2023 are now available. As a result of the School of Business and its Founding Dean Emmett Tracy, enrollment in the department has increased and a new Business and Investment student has been created and is the largest on campus with more than 100 students participating.
About 21st President Jake Schrum:
Schrum was instrumental in kicking off the Carriger Hall renovation during his tenure as the 21st president of E&H. He served as president at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth for nine years and Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, for 13 years. His time at both his previous institutions is considered highly successful and included significant advancements in academic programming and recruitment. While at Texas Wesleyan he developed the “New Urban University,” a phrase he coined, in response to challenges the school was facing in enrollment and community relations. At Southwestern, he is credited with establishing the nationally recognized Paideia Program, a multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary program that requires students to make connections between their leadership, cross-cultural experience, collaborative research, and service learning, and academics.
During Schrum’s tenure at Emory & Henry, the college had increased enrollment with the launch of the School of Health Sciences in Marion, Va.; completed the building of the McGlothlin Center for the Arts; opened the Ampersand Center and integrated learning was added to the core curriculum to promote project-based learning; acquired the Intermont Equestrian Center at E&H; launched the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in the history of the College at $80 million; built the new Village housing and community center; and refinancing our long-term debt with USDA at historically low-interest rates were completed. Schrum retired from E&H in 2019.
Schrum earned a B.A. degree in psychology from Southwestern and a master of divinity degree from Yale University Divinity School. President Schrum is married to Jane Schrum, a former elementary choral music teacher, and a pianist. The Schrums have two grown daughters, Libby Schrum of Camden, Maine, and Katie Schrum of Decatur, Georgia.
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