THE FIRST WODEHOUSE FELLOWS
Chuck and Cami recently partnered with
the Jacksonville University Public Policy
Institute and the City of Jacksonville to
create JU’s first-ever Master of Public Policy
Minority Fellowship Program. Announced
mid-February, this historic initiative received
backing from Mayor Lenny Curry and key
community advocates.
The goal of the Fellowship is to offer future
African-American leaders a two-year JU
Master of Public Policy scholarship, a City of
Jacksonville internship, and job placement
after graduation that keeps their leadership
and talent within the region. "This is a very
attractive program,” Chuck said, and he looks
forward to the 2018/2019 inaugural year.
In a conversation one afternoon with Rev.
Mark Griffin, a dear friend of the Wodehouse
family and former colleague at CSX, Chuck
asked, "How do we clone you?" They had
been discussing leadership issues. With past
experience as a CPA and clergyman, he later
founded a charter school in Eureka Gardens
located inside Jacksonville's urban corridor.
Mark shared the opinion that leadership
problems within Jacksonville's African-
American community centered around
retaining talent.
“I wanted to know how to keep bright, young
leaders from relocating to Charlotte, Miami,
and Atlanta,” Chuck said.
Soon, the conversation turned to the Public
Policy Institute. The unique concept involved
affording the most talented African-American
graduate students a chance to earn a
prestigious degree and gain broad exposure
to national, regional, and local public policy
issues. Preparing these students to lead while
creating diverse employment opportunities
in the public, private, and non-profit sectors
perfectly fit what Chuck and Mark envisioned.
The Fellowship provides two full-tuition
scholarships per year, worth a total of
$40,000, to qualified minority applicants.
Recent graduates from JU, the University of
Florida, Florida State University, Florida A&M
University, and other schools in the region
were encouraged to apply. This inaugural
year, 20 applicants competed for the two fully-
funded seats.
Chuck said, "Out of these applicants, we had
students from nursing, information technology,
political science, law, and other disciplines.
It was an eclectic group, and that's great
because we look for well-rounded people."
By the last week of June, the Fellows selected
Tameka Gaines Holly and Javon Knight.
Rick Mullaney, Director of the Public
Policy Institute, stated, “As you know, we
received many outstanding applications.
This Fellowship has great potential to create
a new generation of leaders.” Jacksonville
Director of Community Affairs Dr. Charles
Moreland and Jacksonville Transportation
Authority (JTA) Chief Executive Nat Ford
attended the February press event, as did
retired Edward Waters College President and
former Jacksonville Sheriff Nat Glover, Jr.
“Think about it: young people entering
into this program can look up and say, ‘I
can be that.’ This program will do nothing
less than accentuate our city, and keep
our best and brightest home,” Glover said.
President Cost called the program “a stellar
example of a real partnership of impact,”
and Mayor Curry dubbed it “a double-down
commitment for the future.”
Chuck simply said, “I don't think people yet
appreciate what this University can and
will do.”
THE REAL NAME OF THE GAME
Chuck says that during the last five years of
his 18-year service to the Board, he realized
that he didn't know the students. Not really,
and not personally. "Linda Stein and I set the
pace for named scholarships, and we hoped
to build momentum. To inspire people. The
best part, of course, is gaining that student
connection. That's big."
Both Chuck and Cami believe that giving to
buildings is wonderful. People giving support to
programs, they agree, is also great. But when
you give to students, that equals a one-on-one
relationship. He said, “I would rather have a
relationship that lasts the rest of our lives than
anything else. The ultimate reward for us is to
see our scholarship recipients succeed.”
Cami speaks fondly of Rachel Wassel ‘17,
a Wodehouse Scholarship recipient through
ASPIRE. She graduated cum laude from
JU’s Keigwin School of Nursing and is
now working in the Newborn Intensive
Care Unit at Wolfson Children’s Hospital
in Jacksonville. “She recently spent an
afternoon with us and then we went to
dinner,” Cami said with a smile. “It was just
so much fun to see her again and to hear
about all that she's doing."
When asked about their joint vision for
the future of JU, Chuck and Cami list
endowments, increased enrollment, and
a further diversified student profile. They
acknowledge there is room for growth
and improvement, but are quick to remind
everyone of that special brand of JU
potential. They also acknowledge that, at the
end of the day, it takes funding. Opportunities
start with funding, Chuck says.
“Here’s what I want—when people think
of Florida, the next thought in their minds is
Jacksonville University, where they have that
great program in aviation, speech pathology,
public policy, etc.”
Chuck often repeats something he heard
Jack Keigwin say, and he says it captures his
family’s long-term goals for the University:
“People in the South talk about their alma
mater like they talk about their family. To be
proud of your alma mater is huge, and we
want all our graduates to be proud of JU.”
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