Texas Wesleyan University Adjunct Business Professor James G. Wetrich has pledged to fund a scholarship.

Although Wetrich currently owns two businesses, Wetrich Group SCO and Wetrich Group LLC, providing “expertise to serve human capital assets to all sectors of the healthcare industry” according to Business Wire, he has chosen to spend his time off teaching at Wesleyan.

“I’ve always loved teaching,” Wetrich said. “More than anything, it helps keep me relevant because stuff is changing all the time.”

With the changing marketing field, teaching keeps him educated with new information, Wetrich said.

“The reason I went back to get my MBA at 52 years old is because the world has changed, the climate has changed, the environment has changed, marketing has changed, and I think it’s just important to stay relevant. One of the ways I do that is by teaching you folks (students),” he said.

Wetrich also hopes that his experience in the field will translate in the classroom and provide students with an insight on marketing in the business world.

Growing up, he was immersed in a culture of giving back. Although it was at a relatively small scale, his parents were very philanthropic, Wetrich said.  

“From as long as I can remember going back to Halloween, my mom used to go out and raise money for UNICEF,” Wetrich said. “My parents always gave back, they donated time and they donated money.”

Wetrich said it’s really important to give back.

“I’d rather the money Texas Wesleyan is paying me ultimately go back to Texas Wesleyan to help students that really need it,” he said

The first scholarship he funded was on behalf of his wife Nancy, who has been an ICU nurse for 35 years, to the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, Wetrich said.

“I’ve set up a scholarship at Emory University School of Nursing in my wife’s name and part of it is because she wouldn’t have been a nurse, if she hadn’t been able to get a scholarship,” Wetrich said.

His second scholarship is at Wesleyan. He has been working in accordance with the development office and has begun the process of setting up a scholarship for students in the School of Business Administration.

“I have formally signed documents with the development office and told them that ultimately over five years I’d donate $25,000 to the school,” Wetrich said. “I designated it to go the business school, to go to a student that has financial need.”

Carly Ann Crisp, donor relations coordinator for Wesleyan, works with the students who receive these types of scholarships.

Every time a student receives a scholarship, it is a gift that should be celebrated, Crisp said.

“I think that anyone that wants to give for the purpose to make sure that students have resources to go to school is honorable and commendable and something that should be celebrated,” Crisp said. “We celebrate it every time it happens.”

Phuong “Finn” Le, a sophomore marketing and management major, was surprised when Wetrich told her Principles of Marketing class about his plans.

“I was surprised, I was like wow, it’s a very generous act because not only does it benefit students financially, but also mentally,” Le said. “It encourages students to try harder to get more scholarships.”