Philanthropist sets up $2.5M scholarship fund after he and his twin struggled to make it through college

Dale E. has taken action to make sure that other students do not experience the same difficulties he and his twin brother Dr. Dan Jones had in school. Currently serving as Chief Executive Officer of Magna Vista Partners, Dale is committed to helping juniors and seniors who are finding it difficult to pay for college.

He has established the “Finishing Well” Scholarship Fund with his spouse Yolanda to “provide a safety net of financial support to help juniors and seniors reach graduation.”

The brothers encountered tremendous financial difficulties as first-generation college students 42 years ago. Despite graduating from Morehouse College in 1982, the obstacles left a lasting impression on them, and decades later, they don’t want the current generation to go through the same thing.

Together with their friends and family, the Joneses are contributing to the funding of the Jones Family Endowment Scholarship. They have all promised to match contributions to invest in the future of Morehouse Men.

“We have invited a number of friends and family members to be a part of this journey with us, to help match the funds that we have committed so that this can be a force multiplier effect to help as many young men complete their education as possible,” Dale added.

Dale said in a news release, “My brother, Dr. Dan Jones, and I came to Morehouse under difficult circumstances. Our mother had passed away several years earlier. My dad, a shoe repairman by day and a janitor by night, struggled to keep us in college for four years. He also became permanently disabled while we were in school. The adversity of trying to stay encouraged, but also be financially capable to remain at Morehouse, was hard on all of us.”

According to a Trellis Research report, roughly 48% of students who had financial difficulties while enrolled reported that they were unable to focus on their studies due to their financial situation.

Dale stated, “We are pleased to establish the Yolanda and Dale Jones Family Endowed Scholarship Fund of $2.5 million to help students finish well. Too often, juniors and seniors get to Morehouse and can’t complete their education because they are out of resources. We are hoping to build financial capacity for students to complete the last mile of their education.”

As the historic $500 million “Making Men of Consequence” Campaign’s national co-chair, Dale is setting up Morehouse College—a historically Black liberal arts institution—for sustained growth and prominence in the twenty-first century.

To date, the campaign has raised $256 million, which is being used to fund student scholarships, new academic initiatives, ground-breaking faculty research, and critical campus enhancements.

He was the previous CEO of Diversified Search and was recently awarded a Bennie Award for Leadership at Morehouse College’s 36th Annual “A Candle in the Dark” Gala for his contributions to Morehouse and success as a business and community leader. It is one of the College’s greatest accolades to be given to a Morehouse graduate.

The scholarship will be offered in the fall of 2024 to both new and returning students.