What if one person’s dream for a better world could inspire a generation of changemakers? For entrepreneur and University of Memphis alum Burton Weil (’66), that dream became a reality through an enduring gift to the University of Memphis and its future leaders. With a history-making donation from Weil through the Burton Weil Family Foundation, the Weil Scholars Program was established in 2024 at the University of Memphis to support the best and brightest students in reaching new heights of success.
This first-of-its-kind initiative offers a full scholarship to select undergraduate, graduate and law students with a passion for leadership and academic excellence. Weil’s generous support allows these students to focus on their studies while experiencing career development opportunities, networking and high-level research opportunities across campus. With its first year now completed, the program has already had an amazing impact on its scholars.
Ever since he was young, Aiden Fitzhugh has loved taking things apart and figuring out how they work. Before learning about the Weil Scholars, Fitzhugh was unsure where he wanted to earn his degree.
After learning about the support and benefits the program had to offer, the choice was easy. Now, as a freshman at the UofM, he’s channeling his passion into a mechanical engineering degree.
“Seeing the number of opportunities here, and specifically the ones provided to me through the Weil Scholars, I don’t even want to imagine what my life would have been like had I gone to another school,” Fitzhugh said.
“There are so many benefits that happened not only because of Mr. Weil and his program, but just the general campus itself. There are just so many opportunities.”
“The first cohort of Weil Scholars excelled in their initial year at the University of Memphis.”
– Carolyn Whittier
Over the course of his freshman year, Fitzhugh joined the Herff College of Engineering Living Learning Community, became a Crews Center for Entrepreneurship Ambassador, secured an internship with the Industrial Training and Assessment Center and participated in numerous workshops with fellow Weil Scholars.
“What was really interesting to me was the level of academic and personal integrity of the other people who are in the program. Seeing everybody in the Weil Scholars with a super high GPA and a super high ACT score, and then they come here and they’re working on these difficult programs…it’s gratifying to see,” he elaborated. “I thought, ‘OK, I’m not crazy, I can do this.’ You just have to be surrounded by the right people.”
With nearly 90% of UofM graduates staying and working in Memphis after graduation, the program’s impact extends far beyond campus.
When Weil Scholars leave the University, they are equipped to take on Memphis’s high-level career opportunities and shape the future of the city.
An instrumental supporter who helped Weil solidify his vision was Laura Linder, president and CEO of the non-profit Jewish Community Partners. In her role, Linder manages various philanthropic endeavors for individuals who want to make a difference. She worked closely with Weil to determine the best way he could leave a legacy that would not just last for decades, but centuries. Together, they formed the Burton Weil Family Foundation in 2022, which now serves the Weil Scholars Program.
“We believe that through the Weil Scholars Programs, we are helping to build the next generation of Memphis business and civic leaders,” Linder said. “We are thrilled to partner with the University to create a program that will attract top students to the UofM. Burton and the entire board of the Burton Weil Family Foundation are proud to be part of this important effort.”
With the next cohort of scholars selected, the program is poised to expand further and grow its community impact. The new cohort has students ranging from freshmen to post-doctoral candidates to law students, all ready to become the future of the program and, in turn, leave their mark on the Memphis community.
One such student is Dulce Salcedo, a first-year Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law student with a deep passion for providing low-cost legal resources to underserved communities. Thanks to the Weil Scholars Program, she can follow her dreams without a financial burden. As Salcedo prepares to enter the program, she is keenly aware that she and the other scholars represent Weil’s dream to create a better Memphis for all.
“I have the passion to go to law school, and I have support from my family to attend. What I did not have was the financial resources to do that,” she explained. “Law school really wouldn’t have been an option for me had this opportunity not been provided for me. This is changing my life, and it’s changing the lives of those around me, my family’s and my community’s lives.”
Knowing that the support of the scholars and her personal aspirations for a strong community align perfectly with Weil’s vision, Salcedo is ready to join the program and take on the world.
“I hope that this program continues for a very long time because it’s a reflection that UofM students hold great academic capacities. I hope that the legacy of this program continues to show that UofM students have every capability and every intention to provide good services to our community moving forward.”
While students like Salcedo look forward to joining the program, the inaugural cohort has already set a remarkable standard that affirms the program’s lasting impact. Sustaining and strengthening this legacy remains a priority for the UofM. Dr. Carolyn Whittier, assistant vice president for Student Engagement, shared reflections on the impressive accomplishments of the first-year cohort.
“The first cohort of Weil Scholars truly excelled in their initial year at the University of Memphis. The students are engaged in the Honors College, serve on the Frosh Camp leadership team and are members of a wide variety of other student organizations,” Whittier said. “Each student in the cohort has completed three or more professional development experiences, and we are excited to see their continued growth over the coming years!”
As the inaugural year of the program ends, its impact is already evident in the students finding their place on campus, in the community taking shape around them and in the promise of what’s to come. These students are proof that with the right support, talent can lead to real impact. The Weil Scholars Program is just getting started, and its future is as bright as the students who carry it forward.
