The Indiana University Northwest campus holds a special place in the hearts of alumni and philanthropic supporters, Ron and Linda Jones. Enjoying walks on the campus, attending theater performances and witnessing the promise of local students in pursuit of big dreams, Ron and Linda reflect and remember their time on campus fondly, and how it propelled them to do and think bigger. 

Recognizing the Northwest campus’s significant impact in their lives, they soon turned to IU Northwest once again, but this time with the goal of helping students.

In an act of pure selflessness, they realized the tremendous impact they could have on future students—many whom reflect themselves—by establishing the Ronald and Linda Jones Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is specifically for students who have graduated from the Gary Community School Corporation and have plans of attending the Northwest campus.

Over the years, the Northwest campus has become to feel more and more like home-away-from-home, Linda remarks. “It makes me feel so proud to see all the students come from the surrounding communities.”

Ron also feels as though the IU Northwest community is like a big family. “It changed my whole life. Professors encouraged me to invest in my community and take on leadership roles,” he said.

Because of the solid education provided to them at IU Northwest, both Ron and Linda went on to have successful and fulfilling careers, Linda at Indiana Wesleyan University and Ron at the Gary Police Department. Ron also served as an IU Northwest police officer from 1985 to 2004.

But they felt IU Northwest’s influence in more than just their professional lives. “[IU Northwest] gave me the confidence to make a difference in the lives of other people,” Linda said. “It prepared me and helped me encourage others to do the same.”

The university has been such an indispensable part of Ron and Linda’s lives, it only made sense to them to give back through a scholarship. Linda said that she and her husband have always loved the idea of “paying it forward,” and they wanted to help local students afford a college education.

“[We want] for them to become very productive people in our society,” Ron said. “The main thing is to help them create a livelihood for themselves.”  

Ron and Linda are especially passionate about helping “average” students who may not have as much access to scholarship funds. In fact, Ron said he was a C student in high school and didn’t get excited about education until he began taking classes at IU Northwest. “What about those C students in high school? Maybe there are things going on in their lives that prevent them from reaching their full potential,” Linda said.

Ron and Linda strive to help those in need, but they also inspire others do the same. “Just help other people—that’s what we need to do,” Linda said. “It makes all of us better. It makes our communities stronger when everybody lends a helping hand.”  

Everyone who has ever received a scholarship knows just how much the kindness of others can leave a lasting impact. Even once those funds end, the recipient will always have the knowledge they gained as a result of an education. No matter the amount, donating to an educational cause is an excellent way to leave an above-average legacy.

After all, as Linda said, “What greater legacy can we have than to help someone else achieve?”